Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
As of 11 p.m., Tuesday, June 23 (Japan time)
- Japanese Olympic Committee chief Yasuhiro Yamashita sent a message to his international counterparts Tuesday, telling them Tokyo is gradually resuming sporting activities as it emerges from the novel coronavirus pandemic.
- Rohto Pharmaceutical Co. said Tuesday it will begin a clinical trial in August using stem cells for a potential treatment for patients severely ill with COVID-19.
- The Japanese government has pledged to fix within a week bugs that have caused its coronavirus contact-tracing smartphone app to be shut down, the health minister said Tuesday.
- Japan's department store sales fell 65.6 percent from a year earlier in May following a record 72.8 percent drop in April, an industry body said Tuesday.
- Libraries in Japan that were forced to close due to the coronavirus pandemic have once again unlocked their doors, but now the onus is on them to provide a safe environment for their members while ensuring any potential outbreaks are traceable.
- Travel from Japan to Vietnam will partially resume this week, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Tuesday, marking the first step in easing travel restrictions aimed at stemming the spread of the novel coronavirus.
- Ueno Zoological Gardens, one of Tokyo's major sightseeing spots, reopened Tuesday following nearly four months of shutdown due to the coronavirus.
- Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea will restart their operations on July 1 after closing over the coronavirus pandemic, operator Oriental Land Co. said Tuesday.
- While the threat of coronavirus infection means empty arenas for the time being, J-League clubs will bring fans' likenesses to the stands in the form of cardboard cutouts displaying pictures of their faces.
- Shikabe Geyser Park in Hokkaido has produced special face shields featuring an illustration of the town's local specialty, "tarako" (cod roe) and the facility is lending them to visitors who have forgotten their protective masks.
As of 11 p.m., Monday, June 22 (Japan time)
- Toyota Motor Corp. said Monday its domestic production volume in July is expected to recover to about a 10 percent drop against an initial plan in reflection of the resumption of economic activities in Japan following the end of national state of emergency over the novel coronavirus.
- Six guesthouses in Nara, a popular tourist spot and ancient capital in western Japan, are renting out their guestrooms and communal spaces to local "telework refugees" who are unable to secure a quiet working environment at home amid the coronavirus pandemic.
- The top European business lobby in Japan on Monday called on the government to ease travel restrictions meant to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, saying the measures are too tough on foreigners and risk driving away foreign investment.
- The number of dengue fever cases is spiking in Indonesia, health officials said Monday, as the country battles to stem the spread of the new coronavirus.
- A Japanese kimono maker has teamed up with a company that runs nightclubs to develop hostess-friendly face masks that make it easy to sip drinks and create an alluring atmosphere.
- Japan's professional baseball and soccer leagues will allow spectators to attend games from July 10, Nippon Professional Baseball Commissioner Atsushi Saito and J-League Chairman Mitsuru Murai said Monday.
- Fireworks festivals are a summer staple in Japan but the coronavirus pandemic has changed all that. Around 80 percent of the displays due to have taken place during the peak season for pyrotechnics have been canceled.
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Updates on major shops, facilities as economy reopens in Japan
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