As of 11 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 17 (Japan time)
- Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Thursday warned that an anti-government rally planned for this weekend in Bangkok could spark a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand and urged it be called off.
- The Bank of Japan left its ultraloose monetary policy unchanged Thursday to support the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic, with Governor Haruhiko Kuroda expected to announce the central bank will closely cooperate with new prime minister Yoshihide Suga.
- The U.S. Federal Reserve indicated Wednesday that interest rates will be kept near zero at least through 2023 to support the fragile economic recovery as the coronavirus pandemic lingers, while committing to a recently unveiled strategy seeking to push inflation above its long-term goal of 2 percent.
As of 11 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 16 (Japan time)
- The global economy is projected to shrink 4.5 percent in 2020 from a year before, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Wednesday, upgrading the previous forecast due to the gradual recovery from a slump caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
- India on Wednesday confirmed its coronavirus cases have exceeded the 5 million mark, adding over a million cases in less than two weeks.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - September 5~11
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