Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:
A Tokyo Olympic torch relay event takes place in the Ishikawa Prefecture city of Nanao on June 1, 2021, with the torch relay on public roads having been canceled in the central Japan prefecture due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
As of 11 p.m., Thursday, June 3
- The Japanese government will prioritize students hoping to attend university abroad in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout ahead of the new semester from September, sources with knowledge of the matter said Thursday.
- The Japanese government is making final arrangements to provide Taiwan with about 1.2 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Britain's AstraZeneca Plc, government sources said Thursday, as the self-ruled island struggles to procure shots.
- About 95 percent of Japanese athletes competing at the Tokyo Olympics are expected to be vaccinated for COVID-19, a top official said Thursday.
As of 11 p.m., Wednesday, June 2
- Known for its pursuit of improvement and efficiency in auto production, Toyota Motor Corp. is using its know-how accumulated over years of being the top Japanese automaker to inject momentum into the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines.
- Japan on Wednesday pledged an additional $800 million toward an international effort to ensure the fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.
- Japan's top coronavirus adviser said Wednesday it is "not normal" to host this summer's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics amid the coronavirus pandemic.
- Roughly 10,000 of the 80,000 volunteers originally scheduled to help at this summer's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics have quit, the Japanese organizing committee said Wednesday in the latest setback for the games to be held amid the coronavirus pandemic.
- Japan has administered COVID-19 vaccines to more than 10 million people, the Prime Minister's Office said Wednesday, as the country tries to speed up inoculations that are lagging far behind other developed countries.
- Universities across Japan are preparing to provide COVID-19 vaccination venues to help accelerate the country's slow inoculation rollout, with government sources saying Tuesday it is planning to start giving shots at seven state-run schools later this month.
- Japanese farmers are turning to digital technologies to grow and sell their products as the coronavirus pandemic depresses sales to restaurants and the graying of Japan's population complicates the drive to raise productivity in the labor-intensive sector.
- The International Monetary Fund, the World Health Organization and other institutions on Tuesday jointly called for a $50 billion investment to support developing countries in their fight against the novel coronavirus and to keep the global economic recovery on track.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - May 22~28
Visitors return to Universal Studios Japan in Osaka on June 1, 2021, as it reopened following the partial easing of business restrictions under the extended coronavirus state of emergency. (Kyodo)
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
