Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
As of 9:15 p.m., Friday, Sept. 4 (Japan time)
- British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc said Friday it has started clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate in Japan, as it plans to begin supplying the vaccine in the country in the first quarter of next year.
- A Japanese government panel tasked with formulating steps to counter the coronavirus pandemic at next summer's rescheduled Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics held its first meeting Friday, with a plan to submit an interim report by the end of the year.
- In the central African country of Rwanda, single mothers employed at a Japanese eatery have found a new source of income after their jobs took a hit from the novel coronavirus pandemic: babysitting Japanese kids online.
- A number of Japan's leading para athletes opted to skip the Japan Para Athletics Championships, a two-day World Para Athletics-certified tournament this weekend, over lingering concerns about the novel coronavirus, most of whom are at greater risk of infection and illness because of severe impairments.
- The annual summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum will be held online Dec. 4 due to the coronavirus pandemic, an Asian diplomatic source said Friday.
- A 46-year-old Japanese man wanted in connection with a murder in Tokyo 17 years ago has been arrested after giving up his life on the run in South Africa due to the coronavirus, which left him without work or money, Japanese police said Friday.
- A sushi chef and bodybuilder in central Japan has been garnering attention for his unique take on deliveries during the novel coronavirus pandemic, as he puts on a show displaying his buff figure when dropping off orders.
- Former champion Naomi Osaka plans to wear a mask bearing the name of a different African American victim of police violence while entering the court ahead of each of her matches at the U.S. Open, a gesture in support of the fight against racial injustice in the United States.
As of 11 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 3 (Japan time)
- Thailand on Thursday reported its first case of community transmission of the novel coronavirus after 100 days with no detected local cases.
- The total number of COVID-19 cases surpassed 1,000 in Myanmar on Thursday, doubling in less than 10 days, according to the Health Ministry.
- East Japan Railway Co. said Thursday it will move up the departure times of the last trains in the Tokyo metropolitan area by some 30 minutes from spring due to the dwindling number of late-night passengers amid the coronavirus pandemic.
- Malaysia said Thursday it will ban the entry of foreign citizens from countries that have recorded over 150,000 coronavirus cases beginning Monday as the number of imported cases rises.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - August 22~28
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