Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond:
As of 11 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 25
- The health ministry has begun reviewing Japan's health care system in preparation for a possible sixth wave of coronavirus infections, following numerous cases of people dying at home during the previous resurgence.
- Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Saturday hailed this summer's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics as a success, saying in a speech at the U.N. General Assembly that the host country "achieved what we set out to do" despite the pressures of a public that was divided over holding the games during the pandemic.
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.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - September 11~17
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