Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
(Tokyo)
As of 11 p.m., Friday, April 10 (Japan time)
- Bonuses at Japanese companies are expected to fall this summer by an average of 6.4 percent from a year earlier, the largest decline in 11 years, reflecting a sharp drop in earnings in the wake of the new coronavirus pandemic, a think tank said Friday.
- Restaurants and Japanese-style "izakaya" pubs in Tokyo will be requested to shut by 8 p.m. each day as part of emergency measures to curb the spread of the pneumonia-causing novel coronavirus, the capital's governor said Friday.
- A labor union representing staff of Uber Technologies Inc.'s food delivery service in Japan called Friday for hazard pay and protection against the coronavirus for deliverers working on the front line.
- South Korea reported 27 newly confirmed cases of novel coronavirus on Friday, marking the first time for the daily figure to be under 30 since Feb. 20, with none found in the former hotspot of Daegu.
- Leaders of four business bodies in the auto industry in Japan said Friday they will set up a new fund to support manufacturers in the auto sector struggling with slumping demand caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
- The number of morning commuters in cities across Japan on weekdays was already down before the national emergency declaration for the coronavirus pandemic earlier this week, government data showed Friday.
- The Japan Sumo Association said Friday a sumo wrestler tested positive for the new coronavirus for the first confirmed case in the country's ancient sport.
- The government said Friday it plans to postpone this month's ceremonies to celebrate Crown Prince Fumihito's ascent to first in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne, while Emperor Naruhito described the coronavirus outbreak as "a great challenge to mankind."
- Kyoto will request the central government to add it to prefectures placed under a state of emergency amid the coronavirus epidemic, local authorities said Friday.
- The U.N. Security Council convened its first meeting to discuss responses to the coronavirus pandemic as the United States and China remain at odds over the naming of the virus.
- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was moved out of intensive care Thursday but remains in hospital to continue treatment for the new coronavirus, his office said.
- After voluntarily putting itself on hold amid the coronavirus pandemic, Japan's sports world was dealt another setback after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka and five other prefectures on Tuesday to curb an alarming rise in infections.
- Japan is considering an expansion of its state of emergency declared earlier this week amid the coronavirus outbreak to include other areas of the country as some prefectures also seek to be covered by the emergency measures, a government official said.
List of shops closed in Tokyo following emergency declaration
As of 11 p.m., Thursday, April 9 (Japan time)
- The number of people traveling to the normally bustling central Tokyo area was about 60 percent lower than usual on Wednesday morning, a day after a state of emergency for the capital and six other prefectures was declared to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, data analyzed by an information technology firm showed.
- Japan's economy in the April-June period is projected to shrink an annualized real 11.08 percent from the previous quarter, marking the third consecutive quarter of contraction and the largest drop in over 11 years due to the coronavirus pandemic.
- The International Monetary Fund said Thursday it expects the coronavirus pandemic to bring about the worst economic fallout since the Great Depression.
- China has temporarily closed all land border crossings with Russia as it confirmed a growing number of coronavirus cases imported by people arriving from its northern neighbor.
- More than 180 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Tokyo on Thursday, a record daily increase, a metropolitan government official said.
- The Tokyo metropolitan government is arranging to allow barbers and do-it-yourself stores to operate as usual, a source familiar with the plan said Thursday, as the capital, under a state of emergency, seeks to narrow down its list of business suspensions.
- As the new coronavirus continues to spread in Japan, recovered patients, their families, co-workers and neighbors are facing stigma and discriminatory treatment, a recurrent theme seen in society when people have been faced with new health threats, such as leprosy and the effects of nuclear accidents.
- A man was arrested in Tokyo on Wednesday for allegedly breaking an entrance door at a sports club that remained open despite the state of emergency declared due to the new coronavirus outbreak, police said.
Useful resources for foreign residents and visitors in Japan
- NEW! AMDA Medical Information Center's "Multilingual Consultation Service Regarding COVID-19"
(April 10~May 20, 2020)
- Available in English, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends and national holidays. Also available in Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Thai, Spanish, Vietnamese and Portuguese on designated weekdays. Check schedule here.
03-6233-9266
- Available in English and Chinese on weekdays only, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
090-3359-8324 - Tokyo Metropolitan Government's COVID-19 info
https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/flow/ - Tokyo Metropolitan Government's hotline
- Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
0570-550571
- Available via fax for those with hearing impairments
03-5388-1396 - Japan National Tourism Organization's "Guide for when you are feeling ill"
- Multilingual clinic/hospital search available in English, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese
https://www.jnto.go.jp/emergency/eng/mi_guide.html - JNTO's "Japan Visitor Hotline"
- Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese 24 hours a day
050-3816-2787
+81-50-3816-2787 (from overseas)
http://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/content/001328767.pdf - Japan's health ministry hotline
- Available in Japanese only, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
0120-565653 - World Health Organization's "Q&A on coronaviruses"
https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses