Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
(Officials disinfect an attraction at the Tokyo Joypolis indoor amusement park on June 13, 2020. The facility resumed operation the same day after the metropolitan government lifted business suspension requests following three months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic)
As of 11 p.m., Sunday, June 14 (Japan time)
- Beijing's health authorities on Sunday reported 36 new coronavirus infections, all traced to a local wholesale market where a new outbreak has been discovered.
- The Tokyo metropolitan government on Sunday confirmed 47 new coronavirus infections, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said.
- Business conditions at more than 20 percent of medical institutions in Japan have worsened due to the coronavirus pandemic, with doctors saying they have experienced dismissals, salary reductions and forced closures, according to a recent survey.
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As of 11 p.m., Saturday, June 13 (Japan time)
- Operators of nightlife establishments will have to keep a record of their customers' names and contact information and ensure social distancing rules as part of measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus, according to guidelines released by the government on Saturday.
- Karaoke fans in Tokyo got a taste of the "new normal" for singing in a karaoke box on Friday, the first day after business closure requests for such establishments were lifted following a sharp fall in new coronavirus cases.
- Japan's pro baseball and football leagues are set to resume later this month after being derailed by the coronavirus pandemic, finally bringing sports spectating back into daily life -- albeit in a different fashion
- The novel coronavirus pandemic has hampered pilot training programs overseas, with the aviation industry in Japan bracing for a shortage of pilots in the near future.
- Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. will cut more than half of its 2,000 workforce as part of restructuring amid a plunge in demand due to the coronavirus pandemic and repeated delays in its development of Japan's first passenger jet, a source close to the matter said Friday.
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
(A passenger of a double-decker sightseeing bus has her temperature checked in Tokyo on June 13, 2020, as operator Hato Bus Co. partially resumes operations following two months of coronavirus-linked closure. A half of the decker's seats are made vacant to reduce the risk of virus infection)
