As of 11 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 3
- Japan's new economic package will include increased subsidies for medical institutions to help them secure more beds for novel coronavirus patients, a government draft of the stimulus showed Thursday.
- The organizers of Japan's national high school rugby tournament said Thursday the annual event will begin as scheduled on Dec. 27 but without spectators in an effort to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
- The Japanese government is set to extend until around June next year its domestic travel subsidy campaign aimed at boosting the economy amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, a source familiar with the matter said Thursday.
As of 11 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 2
- Japan plans to require athletes competing at the postponed Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics next summer to take coronavirus tests every four to five days even if they do not show symptoms, as part of efforts to prevent the spread of infections, a government-led panel said Wednesday.
- Britain on Wednesday became the first nation in the world to approve a vaccine against COVID-19 by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech SE, saying it will be delivered next week throughout the country.
- Japan's parliament enacted a law Wednesday to cover the costs for residents to be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, as hopes grow for the early arrival of vaccines following recent reports of progress amid a resurgence of infections.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - November 21 ~ 27
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