Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
A ceremony is held at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo without sumo wrestlers to pray for their health and safety under a coronavirus state of emergency on Jan. 9, 2021, a day before the 15-day January Grand Sumo Tournament begins. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
As of 10 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 10
- Around 80 percent of people in Japan believe the postponed Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics this summer should be canceled or rescheduled, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday.
- Ryukakusan Co. has begun reaching out to consumers in China, where e-commerce is big business, with the number of inbound tourists to Japan having nosedived due to travel restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.
- Four people who arrived at Tokyo's Haneda airport from Brazil have been found to be infected with a new variant of the novel coronavirus, officials said Sunday, amid a resurgence of infections in Japan.
As of 11 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 9
- The Japan Sumo Association said Saturday five wrestlers who tested positive for the novel coronavirus, and the two stables they belong to, will miss the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament starting Sunday.
- The Tokyo metropolitan government on Saturday reported an additional 2,268 coronavirus cases, topping the 2,000 mark for the third straight day.
- Medical facilities across Japan are struggling to cope with the recent surge in novel coronavirus infections, leaving the medical care system in many areas on the brink of collapse.
- The governors of Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo are set to ask the central government Saturday to include their western Japan prefectures in the state of emergency that took effect a day earlier for the Tokyo region over the resurging coronavirus.
- The idea of Japan introducing a universal basic income, recently floated by one of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's economic advisers, has caught the eye at a time when the coronavirus pandemic is stirring worries about job security and social inequality.
- Japan will further tighten its border controls from Saturday by requiring all people arriving to submit negative results from virus tests taken within 72 hours of their departure for Japan during the period of the latest state of emergency.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - January 2~8
People wearing face masks walk in Osaka's Kita Ward on Jan. 9, 2021, amid the coronavirus pandemic. The governors of Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo asked the central government the same day to include their western Japan prefectures in the state of emergency that took effect a day earlier for the Tokyo region over the resurging coronavirus. (Kyodo) ==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
