Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
As of 11 p.m., Monday, June 14
- Japan is expected to secure additional COVID-19 vaccine doses for about 20,000 people who will work at this summer's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics to improve the safety of the global sporting events, several officials familiar with the plan said Monday.
- Dai Tamesue, a former sprinter who represented Japan at three Olympics, said Monday he remains unsure whether the Tokyo Games should go ahead this summer amid the coronavirus pandemic.
- South Korean President Moon Jae In said on Monday that if North Korea agrees, the South will "push pro-actively" to help it acquire COVID-19 vaccine supplies.
- The Japanese government is considering placing Tokyo under a quasi-state of emergency during the Olympics, taking into consideration opinions from health experts, a government official said Monday.
- A state-run mass coronavirus vaccination site in Tokyo will start giving shots to police and other officials in charge of crisis management in addition to elderly people nationwide to fill vacant slots, the Japanese government said Monday.
- A British medical journal has called for a "global conversation" about what to do with the Tokyo Olympics set to open next month amid the coronavirus pandemic, while criticizing global health organizations for being largely silent on the topic.
As of 10 p.m., Sunday, June 13
- It is now impossible to taste North Korea's flagship homemade beer in China's border city of Dandong, with leader Kim Jong Un apparently having little intention to let down his guard against the novel coronavirus.
- All Nippon Airways Co. on Sunday began its COVID-19 vaccination program for employees at Tokyo's Haneda airport, moving up the original schedule by more than a week.
- U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday reiterated his support for Japan's plan to hold a safe Tokyo Olympics next month amid the coronavirus pandemic, as he briefly talked with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - June 5~11
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