Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
Organizers of the BMX freestyle park national championships allow 100 people to watch the event within the city hall complex in Okayama, western Japan, on Sept. 21, 2020, amid continued worries over the novel coronavirus. The event had about 8,000 visitors in 2019. (Kyodo)
As of 7:45 p.m., Friday, Sept. 25 (Japan time)
- The International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo Olympic organizers agreed Friday on 52 items to simplify at next year's postponed games, such as reducing the number of officials by 10 to 15 percent in order to cut costs and lessen the risk of novel coronavirus infections.
- Japan will reopen borders for all foreign visitors with permits to stay in the country for some time, including students but excluding tourists, from October, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Friday, in a major easing of entry restrictions imposed to tackle the novel coronavirus pandemic.
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Japan said Friday it has agreed with Singapore and Brunei to reopen their borders for newly arriving expatriates and other long-term residents from next Wednesday and Oct. 8, respectively.
- Cyclists' traffic violations hit a record high of over 20,000 last year in Japan and the rising trend appears to be continuing this year as more people turn to bikes amid the coronavirus pandemic, police data showed Friday.
As of 11 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 24 (Japan time)
- Japan could face a resurgence of coronavirus infections, although the number of cases has been on a downward trend since late July, a group of experts on virus prevention said Thursday.
- International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach asked organizers and stakeholders on Thursday to work diligently toward making the Tokyo Games, postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, safe and successful in Japan next summer.
- All Nippon Airways Co. and Japan Airlines Co. said Thursday they will soon resume some of the flights to China that they suspended after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga affirmed in a phone call Thursday with U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres that Japan will continue to work with the international community to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - September 12~18
People row swan boats at a pond in Inokashira Park in Tokyo on Sept. 22, 2020. Open air recreation spots in urban areas were crowded with visitors amid continuing worries over the novel coronavirus on the final day of Japan's four-day weekend. (Kyodo)
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"
- Available in Simple Japanese and English, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. Also available in Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese on designated weekdays. Check schedule here.
03-6233-9266 - 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
