As of 11 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 31
- The women's ski jumping World Cup event scheduled for January 2021 at Japan's Zao resort has been canceled because of logistical, health and safety challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic, organizers said Saturday.
- As the coronavirus pandemic drags on, sleep deprivation has become a cause for concern among some people in Japan as they deal with lifestyle changes such as staying indoors or working from home.
- A Kyushu University startup in the southwestern Japan city of Fukuoka has teamed up with a medical equipment maker to offer a coronavirus antibody test kit utilizing silkworms that allows people to take tests without visiting medical institutions.
As of 11 p.m., Friday, Oct. 30
- The capacity of novel coronavirus testing in Tokyo will be increased to about 65,000 per day by early December, Gov. Yuriko Koike said Friday.
- Japan will lift its entry ban on foreign travelers from China, South Korea, six other countries and Taiwan from Nov. 1, government officials said Friday, as it gradually eases COVID-19 travel restrictions in a bid to revive its battered economy.
- Japan Airlines Co. said Friday it expects to post a net loss of between 240 billion yen ($2.3 billion) and 270 billion yen in the current business year through March, the first red ink since its relisting in 2012, as the coronavirus pandemic sharply reduced demand for air travel.
- Essential workers in Japan's health care and transportation sectors were increasingly required to work excessive hours during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a government study released Friday.
- The Japanese government on Friday asked local authorities and business lobbies to give workers more time off during the upcoming New Year holiday, when many people visit relatives or go on vacation, to mitigate crowding and thus reduce the risk of spreading the novel coronavirus.
- Japan lowered Friday travel advisories issued for eight countries, including China and South Korea, plus Taiwan, as the pace of new coronavirus infections is slowing, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said.
- Japan's job availability fell to its lowest level in almost seven years in September, with many returning to the labor market following a gradual resumption of economic activity that had been slowed by the coronavirus pandemic, government data showed Friday.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - October 24~30
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