Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
As of 11 p.m., Friday, May 28
- A Japanese health ministry panel approved on Friday expanding the use of the U.S. pharmaceutical maker Pfizer Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine for people aged 12 to 15 in addition to those 16 or older.
- The Japanese government is considering sharing with Taiwan some of its supply of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Britain's AstraZeneca Plc, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Friday, in a bid to help the self-ruled island struggling to procure shots.
- The Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics organizers' expert panel on COVID-19 countermeasures said Friday the increased flow of people within Japan while the games are taking place could lead to an increase in the number of infections.
- The Japanese government on Friday extended the COVID-19 state of emergency in Tokyo, Osaka and seven other prefectures by three weeks to June 20 -- just over a month before the Olympics begin in the capital -- as the pace of decline in infections remains slow.
- Malaysia's average daily COVID-19 cases per capita exceeded India this week and the country's health care system is stretched thin, but the government has resisted pressure to impose stricter lockdown rules over economic concerns.
- The president of the Tokyo Olympics' organizing committee suggested Friday it will be difficult to decide on the number of spectators allowed at venues in the near future as the Japanese capital is set to remain under a COVID-19 state of emergency to June 20.
As of 11 p.m., Thursday, May 27
- The head of a Japanese doctors union called Thursday for the cancellation of the Tokyo Olympics, set to begin in less than two months, saying staging the games would be "extremely dangerous" as Japan is already facing a fourth wave of coronavirus infections.
- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga held a virtual conference with European Union leaders on Thursday to discuss the fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines as well as efforts to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific region amid China's growing influence.
- Indians in Japan have rallied to the aid of their homeland as it faces a raging resurgence of the novel coronavirus, with individuals, religious groups and businesses sending donations including prized cylinders of oxygen to different parts of the country with which they have connections.
- The U.S. government trusts Japan's commitment to prioritize public health as it prepares to host the Tokyo Olympics this summer amid the coronavirus pandemic, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday.
- U.S. President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he has asked the intelligence community to "redouble" its efforts to investigate the origins of the novel coronavirus and report back to him in 90 days.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - May 22~28
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