Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond:
As of 11 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 8
- Tokyo's daily coronavirus cases climbed to 1,224, growing 15-fold in one week, the metropolitan government said Saturday, while some other regions reported record daily numbers, in yet another sign that the country is entering a sixth wave of the pandemic with the Omicron variant continuing to spread.
- Japanese cities and towns are struggling to safely organize Coming-of-Age ceremonies in the wake of another wave of COVID-19 cases, with many of them holding the upcoming events virtually or in separate groups, if not canceling them.
- Japanese prosecutors have remotely questioned people in connection with criminal cases in order to prevent coronavirus infection, according to sources familiar with the matter.
- The Japanese government is considering giving COVID-19 booster shots to the country's athletes and officials ahead of the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics amid a global surge in novel coronavirus infections as the Omicron variant becomes rampant, sources familiar with the plan said Friday.
As of 11 p.m., Friday, Jan. 7
- Public facilities in Tokyo, including the popular Ueno Zoological Gardens, will be temporarily closed from next Tuesday amid a resurgence of coronavirus infections, the metropolitan government said Friday.
- The Japanese government is set to allow China and Saudi Arabia's men's soccer teams to enter the country for their 2022 World Cup final Asian qualifying matches through early February, a source close to the matter said Friday.
- Japan decided Friday to place three prefectures with surging COVID-19 cases under a quasi-state of emergency as their governors suspect the viral resurgences have started from U.S. military bases there, while the nationwide tally of infections for the day hit a four-month high of more than 6,000.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - January 1~7
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)