Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
(Zuboraya, a traditional blowfish restaurant in Osaka's Shinsekai downtown area, is seen closed on June 11, 2020, with its entrance decorated with a big blowfish lantern, a famous landmark in the western Japan city. The restaurant, also operating in Osaka's Dotombori area, with a history of 100 years, will end operations in September due to management issues, including the negative impact on sales of the new coronavirus outbreak)
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.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - June 6 - 12
Updates on major shops, facilities as economy reopens in Japan
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.
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
(The Tokyo metropolitan government building is lit up in a seven-color scale on June 11, 2020, after Tokyo lifted its warning about a possible rise in coronavirus cases)
