Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
As of 11 p.m., Tuesday, July 21 (Japan time)
- Tokyo Olympic organizing committee President Yoshiro Mori rejected on Tuesday the idea of holding the postponed games next summer behind closed doors, saying spectators are an essential part of sports.
- The local organizer of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics has started asking its contracted corporate sponsors for additional funds to help cover costs associated with the postponement of the sporting events due to the coronavirus pandemic, sources close to the matter said Tuesday.
- Japan's professional basketball and volleyball leagues on Tuesday urged the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to allow the entry of foreign players kept out of the country by a travel ban aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus.
- A book that recounts life in the central Chinese city of Wuhan while under a strict coronavirus lockdown has been effectively banned in China, its author said in a recent written interview with Kyodo News.
- The labor union for Uber Eats delivery staff in Japan called Tuesday for greater injury compensation, as growing demand for its service amid the coronavirus outbreak poses a higher risk of accidents.
- Dick Pound, a senior member of the International Olympic Committee, said a games held with grandstands full of only Japan residents would run counter to the Olympics' cosmopolitan spirit.
- Japanese adults are planning to spend 65,157 yen ($600) on average during their summer holidays, down 2,914 yen from a year earlier and the lowest level on record, amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, a private survey showed Tuesday.
- The ongoing pandemic crisis led to an unprecedented 12-month Olympic and Paralympic Games postponement, but with the coronavirus' spread going largely unchecked in some countries it is unclear whether even 2021 is a realistic option.
- The Japanese government said Tuesday it will cover cancellation fees incurred by Tokyoites and those who planned to travel to the capital after excluding Tokyo at the last minute from a domestic tourism promotion campaign to help coronavirus pandemic-hit regions.
- Japan on Tuesday raised its travel advisory for 16 countries and a region including Nepal, Kenya and Venezuela, warning against going to them amid concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus.
- Tokyo is expected to report about 230 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Tuesday, Gov. Yuriko Koike said.
As of 11:00 p.m., Monday, July 20 (Japan time)
- The J-League decided Monday to postpone a planned increase in the number of fans allowed inside stadiums following a resurgence of coronavirus cases in Japan.
- Japan's death toll from the novel coronavirus topped 1,000 on Monday, with those in their 60s and above making up over 90 percent of the fatalities.
- The head of a group of nightlife entertainment businesses urged the government on Monday to be more realistic in helping their industry weather the coronavirus pandemic, as Japan grapples with a rising number of infections with many clusters traced back to their sector.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - July 11-17
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