Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond:
As of 11 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 28
- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday the government will consider bringing forward COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for all people as much as possible.
- The Japanese government has retracted an earlier decision and will allow examinees who had close contact with people infected with the Omicron coronavirus variant to take university entrance exams if they have tested negative and have no symptoms.
- The Japanese economy is expected to accelerate its expansion in fiscal 2022 following a sharp turnaround toward the end of 2021 as private consumption continues to recover thanks to subdued coronavirus infections.
As of 11 p.m., Monday, Dec. 27
- The U.S. forces in Japan have begun testing their personnel for coronavirus infections before departing from the United States, the Japanese government said Monday, after they were found to be exempt from doing so against Japan's border control measures.
- Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday he is considering making a video address to the U.N. nuclear nonproliferation meeting in January amid a spread of the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus in the United States.
- As China has been bolstering its "zero corona" policy ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics, many Japanese workers in the capital, who have not returned to their home country for around two years, have remained cut off from their families.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - December 18~24
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)