A mirror attached to a commercial building in Tokyo's Omotesando area shows people walking on an intersection on July 2, 2020. (Kyodo)

 

As of 11 p.m., Friday, July 3 (Japan time)

• The Japanese government on Friday unveiled a draft growth strategy that promotes cashless payments and diverse workstyles, responding to the needs of the post-coronavirus era.
  
  
• At least 308 Japanese companies and over 1,400 staff based in the United States have been affected by U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to halt the issuance of certain work visas until the end of this year, a survey by Japan's trade promotion agency showed Thursday.
  
  
• Tokyo confirmed 124 new coronavirus cases on Friday, a count that eclipsed the largest daily increase in two months marked the previous day and raised fears about a resurgence of the virus amid the recent worsening trend.

• North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has instructed ruling party officials to focus their efforts on preventing the new coronavirus from entering the country, state-run media reported Friday.
  
  
• Single mothers and women with less secure jobs in Japan have seen their employment opportunities upended as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage.
  
  
• Cambodia, host of this year's Asia-Europe Meeting, is set to delay the political forum's biennial summit from mid-November to the spring of 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, a diplomatic source said Friday.
  
  
• The Thai government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic means Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's administration has likely done enough to ride out its four-year term, but that it is too far ahead to predict if it can secure a second stint in 2023, political pundits said.

Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - June 27 - July 3 

Updates on major shops, facilities as economy reopens in Japan

As of 11 p.m., Thursday, July 2 (Japan time)

• When the J-League top flight resumes on Saturday, teams will play without the threat of relegation for the first time since the launch of the second division in 1999. With the season turned upside down by the coronavirus pandemic, the league has decided to suspend relegation to avoid further disadvantaging clubs who are already struggling.

• Japan plans to set up new coronavirus testing centers outside three major airports in Tokyo and Osaka, as well as in central parts of the cities, as the country prepares to relax its travel restrictions, a government official said Thursday.
  
  
• The Tokyo metropolitan government confirmed 107 new coronavirus infections in the capital on Thursday, an official said, registering the largest daily increase in two months.
  
  
• Eintracht Frankfurt veteran Makoto Hasebe, who holds the Bundesliga's record for appearances by an Asian player, said the privilege came with a responsibility he keenly felt when the German top flight resumed amid the coronavirus pandemic earlier this year. 

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

Pots of hozuki, or Chinese lantern plants, sit at a farm in Koga in Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, on July 2, 2020. About 25,000 pots, initially meant for selling at the annual hozuki festival in Tokyo's Asakusa area, will be sold on the internet this year after the traditional festival dating back 250 years was canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak. (Kyodo)