Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond:
As of 10:50 p.m., Tuesday, July 13
- The head of the International Olympic Committee said Tuesday canceling the Tokyo Olympics was not an option, despite the coronavirus pandemic, and going ahead with the games this summer was decided in the interest of athletes preparing for the games for many years.
- Surging coronavirus cases in Southeast Asia, in such countries as Malaysia and Indonesia, have started affecting the supply chains of Japanese companies, with the possibility of regional production disruption becoming more real.
- Japan's minister in charge of the coronavirus response apologized Tuesday for suggesting last week the government plans to ask financial institutions to ensure restaurants and bars will follow the ban on serving alcohol as an anti-virus measure, which triggered a backlash.
- Japan will donate 1 million additional doses of a COVID-19 vaccine each to Taiwan, Indonesia and Vietnam later this week, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Tuesday.
- The prospect of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga being able to conduct active diplomacy with foreign leaders during the Olympic Games in Tokyo remains uncertain, with Japan struggling to fix foreign leaders' visits under a fresh COVID-19 state of emergency that will run for the duration of the games.
- The athletes' village for the Tokyo Olympics officially opened Tuesday, 10 days before the start of the world's largest sporting event, with a renewed coronavirus surge putting a damper on the otherwise festive mood.
- Myanmar health authorities said late Monday that the day's new infections with the novel coronavirus totaled 5,014, topping the 5,000 line for the first time.
As of 11 p.m., Monday, July 12
- New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Monday she will host the first informal meeting of APEC leaders virtually on Friday to discuss the Asia-Pacific region's COVID-19 recovery and economic crisis.
- The so-called vaccine passports Japan plans to issue to allow people inoculated against COVID-19 to travel internationally will be free of charge, the government's top spokesman said Monday.
- Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's government put Tokyo under its fourth COVID-19 state of emergency on Monday in an effort to contain a resurgence in coronavirus infections.
- Japanese prefectural governors on Sunday called on the central government to address a coronavirus vaccine supply shortage and implement a large stimulus to bolster pandemic-hit local economies.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - July 3~9
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