Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
Japan and beyond: The Week in Pictures - May 16-22
As of 11 p.m., Saturday, May 23 (Japan time)
- Gunmen believed to be separatist rebels on Saturday attacked two medical workers fighting the new coronavirus pandemic in Indonesia's restive province of Papua, killing one of them, police and military said.
- Two new coronavirus infections were reported in Tokyo on Saturday, the lowest single-day tally since Japan declared a state of emergency last month, as the government prepares to lift restrictions on the capital and four other prefectures.
- Some major department stores in the Tokyo metropolitan area resumed more of their operations Saturday following a six-week suspension over the novel coronavirus outbreak.
- The sumo world is grappling with its latest crisis as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, which has claimed the life of a 28-year-old wrestler and forced the cancellation of the sport's showpiece May tournament.
- At least one-third of 86 hospitals designated by the Japanese government to provide advanced treatment have been forced to suspend part of their services such as elective surgeries and emergency care to make room for treatment of new coronavirus patients, a recent Kyodo News survey showed.
- The delivery of face masks as part of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's coronavirus-countering efforts began Saturday in the 34 prefectures that had not yet received them, despite the majority by now having no or relatively few cases of infection
- The possibility of Japan's government lifting a state of emergency in Tokyo and nearby prefectures, as well as Hokkaido, altogether next Monday is rising, as the number of new coronavirus cases has been declining, officials said Friday.
- Haruki Murakami, one of Japan's best-known novelists, hit the airwaves Friday night, encouraging radio listeners across the country through his talk and by playing his favorite songs amid the deadly coronavirus pandemic that has forced people to limit social interaction.
- Nippon Professional Baseball and soccer's J-League should consider playing games without fans, a panel of experts recommended to Japan's biggest pro sports bodies when they met Friday for their eighth online summit regarding the coronavirus pandemic.
- Fujifilm Holdings Corp. said Friday it is on course to supply the anti-influenza drug Avigan for 2 million COVID-19 patients by next March, meeting a target set by the Japanese government to ramp up production of the potential treatment for the new coronavirus.
- The Tokyo metropolitan government reported three new coronavirus infections in the capital on Friday, the lowest since Japan declared a state of emergency last month.
- Japan has raised its travel advisory for 11 countries including Argentina, India and South Africa, to Level 3, urging against any trips to the areas during the global coronavirus pandemic, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Friday.
- Nissan Motor Co. is looking to cut over 20,000 jobs or about 15 percent of its global workforce as part of its restructuring plan due to slumping sales hit by the new coronavirus outbreak, sources close to the matter said Friday.
- International Olympic Committee senior official John Coates said the postponed Tokyo Games might not go ahead in July 2021, even with the development of a coronavirus vaccine, Australian media reported Thursday.
Useful resources for foreign residents and visitors in Japan
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government's "Tokyo Coronavirus Support Center for Foreign Residents (TOCOS)" multilingual hotline
- Available in Simple Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Nepali, Indonesian, Tagalog, Thai, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Khmer, and Burmese, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays except national holidays.
0120-296-004 (toll free) - 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 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