Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
Police officers wearing protective suits head for a host club, where the staff are male and the clientele largely female, in the Kabukicho area of Tokyo's Shinjuku district on Sept. 24, 2020. Police searched the club as a worker there was arrested for attempted fraud, donning the suits amid concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus in the area. (Kyodo)
As of 10:30 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 26 (Japan time)
- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Saturday called for world solidarity in the fight against the novel coronavirus as he delivered his first address to the U.N. General Assembly via prerecorded video statement in his debut at an international forum.
- A group of Malaysians who formerly studied in Japan have donated hundreds of items of nonwoven protective clothing for Japanese hospital staff to use amid the coronavirus pandemic
- More than 70 percent of schoolchildren in Japan feel stress as a result of the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to a survey by a state-run medical institute.
- Japan will make available an online version of a health questionnaire that travelers are required to fill out before entering the country to streamline the immigration control process, sources familiar with the matter said Saturday
As of 11 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.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - September 12~18
An employee at a restaurant in Pyongyang disinfects a door on Sept. 23, 2020, amid concern about the novel coronavirus. (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
