Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
Elementary school children wear face shields in a music class in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, eastern Japan, on June 22, 2020, amid concerns over the novel coronavirus. (Kyodo)
As of 11 p.m., Wednesday, July 15 (Japan time)
- Tokyo on Wednesday raised its alert over the coronavirus pandemic to its highest level following recent upticks in infections in the capital, adding to signs that Japan is facing a resurgence of the virus after lifting the state of emergency in May.
- Tokyo on Wednesday confirmed 165 new cases of coronavirus infection, remaining below 200 for the third straight day.
- Japan received an estimated 2,600 foreign travelers in June, down 99.9 percent from a year earlier for the third consecutive monthly decline amid the coronavirus pandemic, government data showed Wednesday.
- U.S. Marine Corps Camp Hansen in Okinawa has confirmed a further 36 novel coronavirus infections, the prefectural government said Wednesday, bringing the total number of cases at American military facilities on the island to 136.
- Many university students in Japan have been forced to continue job hunting into the summer as the novel coronavirus pandemic has stalled companies' hiring processes, a recent private survey showed.
- Yoshihisa Hirano tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Seattle Mariners pitcher told Kyodo News on Tuesday, making him the first Japanese major league player confirmed to have contracted the virus.
- U.S. biotechnology company Moderna Inc. said Tuesday it will start a final-stage clinical trial of a potential coronavirus vaccine involving 30,000 participants on July 27.
- The U.S. government has dropped a plan not to grant visas for international students attending American high schools or universities if their classes shift entirely online in the fall in response to the coronavirus pandemic, a district court revealed Tuesday.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - July 4-10
As of 11 p.m., Tuesday, July 14 (Japan time)
- Japan has urged the United States to take steps to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus following outbreaks on U.S. military bases in Okinawa Prefecture, Foreign Ministry officials said Tuesday.
- A U.S. economist with a focus on the sports business says the International Olympic Committee should shoulder half of the additional cost of postponing the Tokyo Games due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
- The Japanese government is considering issuing business suspension requests to host clubs and other similar establishments that have not taken sufficient measures to stem the coronavirus spread, a minister said Tuesday.
- Japan may start operating coronavirus testing centers at major airports and in large cities in September as part of efforts to ease restrictions on international travel, government officials said Tuesday.
- Tokyo on Tuesday confirmed 143 new coronavirus infections, remaining below 200 for the second day in a row, Gov. Yuriko Koike said.
- Japan's Olympic minister Seiko Hashimoto said Tuesday the government will consider easing travel restrictions for foreign athletes and games officials for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, which were postponed to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
- As the world's top pro tennis tours look to resume from August, Japan-based players are expressing concern about the viability of staging tournaments in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said Monday that the new coronavirus outbreak in his country is expected to peak in August or September, three or four months later than earlier estimated.
- Hong Kong Disneyland will shut down again beginning Wednesday amid an uptick in the number of novel coronavirus infections in the region, the Walt Disney Co. said Monday.
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
A woman wearing a face mask burns incense during a protest against ministry of Education Victor Hugo Cardenas on July 14, 2020 in La Paz, Bolivia.(Getty/Kyodo)
