Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond:
<April 20, 2022>
- A record 54.3 percent of students at elementary, junior high and high schools in Japan said they lacked motivation to study last year, a private survey showed Wednesday, apparently reflecting the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in stifling social interaction.
- A man who claims to be one of the leaders of the Japanese arm of U.S. conspiracy cult QAnon was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of forcing his way earlier this month into a venue offering coronavirus vaccinations for children in Tokyo, police said.
<April 19, 2022>
- Japan is considering making the elderly and people with underlying medical conditions eligible for fourth coronavirus vaccine shots, in line with recommendations by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, government sources said Tuesday.
- Japan's health ministry Tuesday formally approved the use of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by the U.S. biotechnology firm Novavax Inc., with deliveries of the drug to local governments expected to start in late May, and shots might also begin that month.
- A prolonged lockdown in China's commercial and trade hub of Shanghai may disrupt the global supply chain, dealing a crushing blow to the world's economy that has already lost its recovery momentum following Russia's war on Ukraine.
<April 18, 2022>
- A panel of experts at Japan's health ministry approved Monday the use of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by the U.S. biotechnology firm Novavax Inc.
- China has decided to suspend the full promotion of President Xi Jinping's ambitious "common prosperity" policy for the time being, with the economy slowing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a Chinese source familiar with the matter said Monday.
- The coronavirus lockdown in Shanghai is forcing Japanese retailers to halt operations in the Chinese commercial and financial hub, while Japanese manufacturers have also been affected including through supply-chain disruptions.
- China's economy grew 4.8 percent from a year earlier during the January to March period, official data showed Monday, but the economic outlook has become dimmer due largely to the country's radical "zero COVID" policy.
<April 16, 2022>
- About 373 million people in 45 cities across China have come under some form of lockdown due to a surge in coronavirus cases amid the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant, according to estimates by a Nomura Holdings Inc. unit.
- Japan's top coronavirus adviser said Friday the country no longer needs to "fully" stop social activities, as symptoms of the currently dominant Omicron variant are less severe than those of previous strains, in a major shift from his previous stance focusing on strict controls to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
<April 14, 2022>
- Hong Kong will ease some social distancing measures including dining restrictions from later this month as the city is recovering from its largest outbreak of the coronavirus, the city government said Thursday.
<April 13, 2022>
- A famous cherry-blossom lane in Osaka that is home to 138 varieties of sakura tree and 335 trees in total reopened Wednesday after a two-year closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - April 9~15
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)