Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:

A sniffer dog and handler patrol JR Ueno Station for explosives in Tokyo on Aug. 27, 2020. East Japan Railway Co. has started a trial of having sniffer dogs on duty at stations as part of its efforts to strengthen anti-terrorism measures. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

 

As of 11 p.m., Wednesday, July 7

• Japan is likely to stage the Olympics without spectators at venues in Tokyo due to a spike in coronavirus cases, a senior government official said Wednesday.
  
  
• Japanese pharmaceutical firm Shionogi & Co. will provide up to 120 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine under development annually or enough for 60 million people, doubling its supply plan as it found a lower dosage was still efficacious, according to the company.
  
  
• One of the vice presidents of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee suggested Wednesday it is possible to hold a fresh ticket lottery even if the number of spectators at each venue is reduced to a maximum of 5,000 amid growing unease in Japan about a resurgence of coronavirus infections.
  
  
• The idea of declaring another state of emergency for Tokyo is being floated within the Japanese government amid a resurgence of coronavirus cases with just over two weeks to go until the Summer Olympics begin in the capital, a source with knowledge of the matter said Wednesday.
  
  
• The Tokyo metropolitan government reported 920 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, marking the highest daily figure since May, amid a resurgence of infections with less than three weeks to go until the start of the Olympics.
  
  
• The athletes' village for the Tokyo Olympics in the capital's Harumi waterfront district pre-opened Wednesday, mainly for officials of team delegations, as uncertainty prevails over how the coronavirus pandemic will unfold during the games that open in about two weeks.
  
  
• The Japanese government will launch an infectious diseases databank later this month, starting with a plan to collect data on 10,000 COVID-19 patients by next March, to help firms and universities develop treatments amid the pandemic, project members said Wednesday.
  
  
• The Osaka prefectural government decided Wednesday to ask the Japanese government to maintain business restrictions under a COVID-19 quasi-state of emergency beyond its scheduled end on Sunday.
  
  
• Japan plans to lower the spectator cap at the Tokyo Olympics to 5,000 per venue and may hold a fresh lottery for ticket holders if the ongoing COVID-19 quasi-state of emergency in the capital is extended due to a recent rebound in infections, officials familiar with the matter said Tuesday.

As of 11 p.m., Tuesday, July 6

• Yoshiro Mori, the former head of Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics organizing committee, said Tuesday that holding the games behind closed doors has been an option since the one-year postponement was decided in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  
  
• The Japanese government said Tuesday it will tighten border controls for travelers from some countries including Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan and Zambia to prevent the spread of highly contagious new variants of the coronavirus.
  
  
• The Tokyo metropolitan government said Tuesday it will take the Olympic torch relay off public roads also in the second half of the 15-day leg passing through central districts of the capital due to a resurgence of coronavirus infections.
  
  
• The Tokyo metropolitan government reported 593 new coronavirus cases Tuesday, exceeding the number logged a week earlier for the 17th straight day, amid a rebound of infections with just over two weeks to go until the start of the Olympics.
  
  
• Japan will provide Taiwan with some 1.13 million more doses of the AstraZeneca Plc coronavirus vaccine later this week, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Tuesday.
  
  
• The athletes villages for the Tokyo Games will be starkly different from usual, with athletes required to effectively live in an isolated bubble from which they will have to adhere to strict anti-coronavirus regulations.

Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - June 26~July 2

Wrestler Yui Susaki (2nd from L) receives the national flag from Japanese Olympic Committee President Yasuhiro Yamashita (L) during a launch ceremony for the host nation's Olympic delegation in Tokyo on July 6, 2021, with sprinter Ryota Yamagata (2nd from R) and table tennis player Kasumi Ishikawa looking on. (Pool photo) (Kyodo) ==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