Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
As of 11 p.m., Friday, June 12 (Japan time)
- Tourism operators, would-be travelers and politicians alike are becoming increasingly frustrated as a date for the return to quarantine-free travel between Australia and New Zealand remains uncertain amid the coronavirus pandemic.
- Toyota Motor Corp. said Friday it has restarted plants in Indonesia and Malaysia after their suspension due to the new coronavirus spread, bringing all production in Southeast Asia back online.
- Japanese drugmaker Daiichi Sankyo Co. said Friday it aims to launch a clinical study of a genetic vaccine for the new coronavirus around March 2021.
- Kyoto Prison held Friday Japan's first drill to prepare for a possible outbreak of the new coronavirus at a jail, with officers separating an infected inmate and disinfecting the facility.
- Japan's parliament enacted Friday a record 31.91 trillion yen ($298 billion) extra budget, allowing it to scale up measures designed to offset the social and economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic to twice the previous level.
- North Korea appears to be trying to bolster ties with its friendly neighbor China with the coronavirus pandemic taking a severe toll on the country's economy, while its nuclear talks with the United States have shown no sign of progress.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - June 6 - 12
Updates on major shops, facilities as economy reopens in Japan
As of 11 p.m., Thursday, June 11 (Japan time)
- The Tokyo metropolitan government on Thursday lifted its warning about a possible increase in the number of coronavirus infections in the capital, moving a step closer to a full resumption of economic and social activities in the capital.
- Chubu airport in central Japan will resume some international flights from next Tuesday after operations were suspended for more than two months due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, the operator said Thursday.
- Japanese drugmaker Rohto Pharmaceutical Co. said Thursday it plans to launch a clinical trial using stem cells to develop a treatment for severe cases of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus.
- Devices connected to the internet and artificial intelligence are being introduced to nursing care in Japan where there is a chronic shortage of caregivers as society ages and the novel coronavirus pandemic is restricting face-to-face contact.
- Japan plans to ease its coronavirus travel restrictions by letting in up to around 250 foreign travelers per day from Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Vietnam, government sources said Wednesday.
- Business sentiment among large Japanese companies in the April-June period hit the lowest level in 11 years amid fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, a government survey showed 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