As of 11 p.m., Tuesday, April 6
- Shimane Gov. Tatsuya Maruyama said Tuesday he will allow the Tokyo Olympic torch relay to go ahead, despite suggesting earlier this year that the event may be called off in the western Japan prefecture if the coronavirus situation does not improve.
- Japan said Tuesday it will tighten border controls on travelers from Spain, Finland and the Canadian province of Ontario in response to the spread of new variants of the novel coronavirus detected there.
- Osaka confirmed on Tuesday a single-day record of 719 cases of the novel coronavirus, even as the western Japan prefecture has toughened measures in an attempt to stem a sharp rebound in infections.
- The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday vowed to lead in the manufacture and worldwide supply of coronavirus vaccines, appointing a coordinator to navigate the country's vaccine diplomacy.
- North Korea will not participate in this summer's Tokyo Olympics to protect its athletes from the novel coronavirus, according to a North Korean website.
As of 11 p.m., Monday, April 5
- Q&A: Japan's new, quasi-emergency coronavirus measures
- Quasi-emergency measures against COVID-19 officially commenced Monday in Osaka, Hyogo and Miyagi prefectures as part of efforts to stem a sharp resurgence in infections in the three areas.
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