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

Tokyo's Shibuya area, with Olympic and Paralympic banners on display, is crowded with people wearing masks to protect against the novel coronavirus on July 7, 2021. The Tokyo metropolitan government reported 920 new COVID-19 cases the same day. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

 

As of 11:20 p.m., Thursday, July 8

• Restaurant and tour operators in Tokyo hoping for a pickup in business over the summer were left reeling Thursday after the Japanese government decided to declare a fourth coronavirus state of emergency in the capital.
  
  
• Japan's latest coronavirus state of emergency covering Tokyo, declared by the government Thursday, could cost the economy around 1 trillion yen ($9.1 billion), according to economists' estimates.
  
  
• Taiwan will extend its coronavirus-induced restrictions for another two weeks though with some relaxations, authorities said on Thursday.
  
  
• The Tokyo Olympics will be held without spectators at venues in the Japanese capital due to a spike in coronavirus infections, Olympic minister Tamayo Marukawa said Thursday after organizers made the unprecedented decision just two weeks ahead of the opening of the global sporting event.
  
  
• South Korea reported a record 1,275 daily coronavirus infections on Thursday amid a new wave of COVID-19 cases, eclipsing the previous daily high of 1,240 set back in December.
  
  
• Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's government decided Thursday to place Tokyo under another COVID-19 state of emergency until Aug. 22, covering the duration of the Olympics, in an effort to curb a recent surge in infections.

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.

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

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Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura (C back) attends a meeting of the prefecture's coronavirus task force in Osaka on July 7, 2021. (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