Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
As of 11 p.m., Friday, May 7
- Japan reported a record 148 daily coronavirus deaths on Friday as the country battles a "fourth wave" of infections that shows no signs of stopping.
- The Japanese government aims to ramp up its COVID-19 vaccine rollout to 1 million shots administered per day, roughly triple the current pace, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Friday.
- The Japanese government decided Friday to expand the COVID-19 state of emergency beyond Tokyo and the Osaka region and extend it to May 31 to bring down infections and ease the strain on hospitals.
- A Japanese online petition calling for the cancellation of this summer's Tokyo Olympics had received over 200,000 signatures as of Friday, just two days after its launch, as public fears over the coronavirus pandemic grow with the rapid spread of highly contagious variants.
- The Japanese government is set to decide Friday to strengthen restrictions on travelers arriving from India, where more contagious coronavirus variants have been raging, officials said.
As of 11 p.m., Thursday, May 6
- The International Olympic Committee announced Thursday it will provide athletes attending this summer's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics with doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE.
- The operator of Narita airport near Tokyo is considering reopening part of its Terminal 2 satellite building that was closed in April last year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, sources familiar with the matter said Thursday.
- The United States will support waiving intellectual property protections for coronavirus vaccines to help expand global vaccine supplies amid the ongoing pandemic, the country's top trade envoy Katherine Tai said Wednesday.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - April 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)
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