Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
As of 11:15 p.m., Saturday, June 5
- The Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics organizing committee on Saturday denied a Financial Times report that Japanese sponsors have called for the games to be postponed to a September-October period amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The Japanese government is preparing to provide COVID-19 vaccine to Vietnam as the country struggles to procure enough doses for its citizens amid a spike in coronavirus infections, government and ruling party officials said Saturday.
- With the COVID-19 vaccination rollout just starting to gather steam in Japan, local governments have been figuring out how best to use surplus doses resulting from sudden appointment cancelations or no-shows -- and coming up with a variety of schemes.
- Japan's wage growth has slowed to levels last seen in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis as companies have taken a hit from the coronavirus pandemic.
As of 11 p.m., Friday, June 4
- Japan's donated COVID-19 vaccine arrived in Taiwan on Friday as the democratic island has been struggling to procure shots amid a surge of coronavirus cases, swiftly triggering a strong backlash from Communist-led mainland China.
- A giant panda at the capital's Ueno Zoological Gardens may be pregnant, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said Friday, the same day the zoo reopened after a five-month closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.
- Municipalities across Japan registered for the government's "Host Town" program for pre-Tokyo Paralympics training camps and cultural exchanges are being required to cover additional COVID-19-related costs out of their own pockets, and some are giving up on the move.
- Japan's government said Friday it will extend the quarantine period for travelers who have recently been to Britain from three days to six days next week to prevent the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus variant first found in India.
- The Chinese government on Friday criticized Taiwan for acquiring more than 1 million doses of the novel coronavirus vaccine developed by Britain's AstraZeneca Plc from Japan.
- Taiwanese newspapers on Friday ran front-page articles on Japan's plan to provide Taiwan with about 1.24 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Britain's AstraZeneca Plc, saying the move reflects the friendship between the two neighbors.
- The United States said Thursday that India, South Korea and Taiwan will be among the destinations to receive the first batch of the roughly 80 million doses of coronavirus vaccines the administration of President Joe Biden has pledged to share with countries around the world by the end of June.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - May 29~June 4
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