Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond:
As of 11 p.m., Friday, Nov. 19
- Children will be allowed to ride bullet trains that run through most of Japan's biggest cities for free as part of a campaign to revive domestic tourism hit by the coronavirus pandemic, operators said Friday.
- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's Cabinet is set to approve Friday an economic stimulus package that includes a record 55.7 trillion yen ($490 billion) in fiscal spending to weather the prolonged fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
- Japan plans to deliver 3.7 million doses of coronavirus vaccines to nine developing countries, including for the first time nations in Africa and Latin America, as part of an international effort to ensure fair access to inoculations, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Friday.
- Japan will formally decide Friday to remove an existing spectator cap on attendance at large-scale events as well as ease rules on eating and drinking establishments, mostly relating to any future COVID-19 state of emergency, as the country has seen a sharp decline in new and serious cases of the novel coronavirus.
As of 11 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 18
- Japan has inoculated 75.7 percent of its population with two COVID-19 shots, the highest among the Group of Seven industrialized nations, according to government data released Thursday.
- Japan will spend a record 55.7 trillion yen ($488 billion) on an economic stimulus package aimed at easing the impact from the coronavirus pandemic, a government source said Thursday.
- Japan will relax coronavirus pandemic-necessitated border restrictions and raise the daily cap on the number of people entering to around 5,000 from the current 3,500 starting on Nov. 26, the top government spokesman said Thursday.
- Japan will establish a system to allow vaccines and drugs to be granted approval in emergency situations once their safety has been verified, making the screening process even shorter than under the fast-track system, government sources said Wednesday.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - Nov. 6 ~ 12
Useful resources for foreign residents and visitors in Japan
- Health ministry call center
COVID-19: 0120-565-653 (toll free)
COVID-19 Vaccines: 0120-761-770 (toll free)
-Interpreters available for English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; for Thai 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; for Vietnamese 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. - Health ministry's COVID-19 Vaccine Navigation website
https://v-sys.mhlw.go.jp/en/ - 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)