As of 11 p.m., Wednesday, March 31
- All Nippon Airways Co. began providing a luxury dining experience Wednesday aboard a parked airplane in a bid to utilize its idled aircraft as travel demand has evaporated due to the coronavirus pandemic.
- Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura asked the central government Wednesday to designate the prefecture's capital as an area that needs stronger anti-virus measures based on a law following a sharp rebound in coronavirus infections.
- China on Wednesday criticized 14 countries, including Japan and the United States, for "politicizing" the origins of the novel coronavirus after they voiced concerns over a joint probe conducted by the World Health Organization and Beijing in a Chinese city.
- China said Wednesday that a border city with Myanmar has been locked down, as nine people, including Myanmar nationals, have been newly confirmed to be infected with the novel coronavirus.
- Japanese medical equipment maker Terumo Corp. on Wednesday began production of syringes that can yield seven shots per vial of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc.
- Japanese shipping and logistics firm NYK Line is planning to build the largest Japanese cruise ship, aiming for completion in 2025 to meet an expected post-pandemic recovery in travel demand, sources close to the matter said Wednesday.
- Universal Studios Japan in the western city of Osaka marked its 20th anniversary Wednesday, but without any large-scale events to celebrate the occasion due to the coronavirus pandemic.
- International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva said Tuesday that Japan's economic recovery will not be derailed by staging the Tokyo Olympics without overseas spectators, while hailing the country's "strong response" to the coronavirus pandemic.
- A joint study conducted by the World Health Organization and China on the origins of the novel coronavirus concluded it is "extremely unlikely" the virus escaped from a laboratory in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, according to the report released Tuesday.
As of 11 p.m., Tuesday, March 30
- Japan's health minister apologized Tuesday over a late-night party involving 23 officials of his ministry held last week in Tokyo despite the metropolitan government's request for shorter business hours to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
- A joint study conducted by the World Health Organization and China on the origins of the novel coronavirus concluded that it is "extremely unlikely" that it escaped from a laboratory in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, a copy of its report obtained by Kyodo News showed Monday.
- Coronavirus vaccines developed by Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. reduced the risk of infection by 90 percent at least two weeks after full vaccination, according to a study by the U.S. health protection agency released Monday.
- A group of Japanese health ministry officials partied at a restaurant in Tokyo until around midnight while the metropolitan government's request was in place for eateries to shorten business hours to curb the spread of the coronavirus, a ministry official revealed Monday.
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)
https://www.seikatubunka.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/chiiki_tabunka/tabunka/tabunkasuishin/0000001452.html - 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/ - Tokyo Metropolitan Government hotline
https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/contacts
- Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (including weekends and holidays)
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"
https://www.japan.travel/en/plan/hotline/
- Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese 24 hours a day
050-3816-2787
+81-50-3816-2787 (from overseas) - 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