Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
As of 11 p.m., Tuesday, June 2 (Japan time)
- Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike issued a warning Tuesday when the number of new coronavirus infections begins trending higher, as 34 cases were reported in the Japanese capital.
- Japan Airlines Co. plans to halve bonuses for its employees this summer due to sharp deterioration in business over the spread of the new coronavirus, sources familiar with the issue said Tuesday.
- Elementary, junior high and high schools in North Korea have resumed classes since Monday after a monthslong-closure over the new coronavirus pandemic, a state-run newspaper reported Tuesday.
- Japanese professional baseball clubs held practice games on Tuesday to prepare for their scheduled season openers, which have been delayed for roughly three months to June 19 due to the new coronavirus pandemic.
- Japan approved Tuesday a polymerase chain reaction coronavirus test using saliva, which is much safer and easier compared to the currently dominant method that collects mucus from back part of the nose.
- National museums in Tokyo and three other areas in Japan reopened Tuesday after three months of closure due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.
- The East Gardens of the Imperial Palace grounds reopened Tuesday to the public after a closure of about two months due to the novel coronavirus.
- The head of the World Health Organization on Monday indirectly urged President Donald Trump to reconsider his decision to pull the United States out of the U.N. agency over its allegedly "China-centric" stance.
Updates on major shops, facilities as economy reopens in Japan
As of 11 p.m., Monday, June 1 (Japan time)
- Simultaneous fireworks displays colored the night skies in Tokyo and other parts of Japan on Monday, with fireworks makers hoping the sight will cheer the nation up as it struggles with the coronavirus pandemic.
- Japan on Monday further eased restrictions on social and economic activities in urban areas that were imposed to fight the spread of the new coronavirus, paving the way for children to return to school in the Tokyo metropolitan area for the first time in three months with some conditions.
- Commuters returning to work in the Philippines' capital Manila faced spotty transportation on Monday as the country moved to relax a strict lockdown imposed in mid-March to stem the spread of the new coronavirus.
- Many tourist spots across Japan reopened Monday, a week after the full lifting of a state of emergency, with precautions in place against the novel coronavirus amid growing concern over a second wave of infections.
- Universal Studios Japan will reopen its doors on June 8 to annual ticket holders who live in Osaka Prefecture after being closed for around three months due to the coronavirus pandemic, the operator said Monday.
- Many schools in Japan reopened Monday after being closed for an extended period due to the coronavirus pandemic, taking steps to reduce the risk of infections.
- The Japanese health ministry began testing around 10,000 people for coronavirus antibodies Monday in a bid to better grasp the scale of infection, as the country braces for a possible resurgence following the lifting of a state of emergency last week.
- The Sunwolves will not compete in the proposed Australian domestic competition due to logistics and stringent coronavirus border restrictions, meaning the Japanese franchise's time in Super Rugby is over.
- The Japanese government is considering easing its entry ban on visitors from Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, and New Zealand currently in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, a government source said Monday.
- There is no bigger crisis in the 21st century that has more directly impacted ordinary people throughout the world than pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic.
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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