Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond:
Measures against the coronavirus are shown on a board at Universal Studios Beijing on its official opening day on Sept. 20, 2021. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
As of 11 p.m., Friday, Sept. 24
- Singapore is reimposing restrictions on social gatherings and ordering employees to work from home after an upsurge in coronavirus infections that threatens to overwhelm the health care system, the government said Friday.
- Japan's state-run mass COVID-19 inoculation centers are looking into giving shots to people aged 16 or over, Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said Friday, lowering the minimum age from 18 amid the spread of the virus among younger people.
- Japan needs a "resilient" economy to overcome new challenges by looking for ways to curb the coronavirus spread and promote economic activities concurrently, and implementing reform measures to improve the business environment, a government report said Friday.
As of 11 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 23
-
The number of mergers and acquisitions involving Japanese firms is expected to hit a record high in 2021 as companies invest in growth areas in the hope of overcoming the competition in a post-coronavirus world, according to an M&A advisory company.
- The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday signaled that a decision is nearing on beginning to scale back a massive bond-buying program on the back of the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, and hinted at an interest rate lift-off possibly next year.
- The United States on Wednesday called on countries around the world to commit to vaccinating 70 percent of the global population against the novel coronavirus by next September, while vowing to donate an additional 500 million vaccine doses to poorer nations.
- Japan will provide 30 million additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine to other countries as part of international efforts to ensure fair access to the life-saving shots, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Thursday.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - September 11~17
The Waseda International House of Literature, or The Haruki Murakami Library, is shown to the media on Sept. 22, 2021, at the university's campus in Tokyo ahead of the Oct. 1 opening of the facility. The library houses an archive of materials donated by the novelist, including his works. (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
