Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond:
<April 28, 2022>
- Japan's first case of a coronavirus variant has been found in Sendai, the northeast Japan city's government said Thursday.
- ANA Holdings Inc. said Thursday it plans to return to the black for the business year ending next March as it expects travel demand to recover from the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Japan's industrial output in fiscal 2021 expanded at a record 5.8 percent from the previous year after two straight years of setbacks due to the coronavirus pandemic, government data showed Thursday.
<April 27, 2022>
- Omicron's BA.2 subvariant has come to account for about 90 percent of new coronavirus cases in the country, an estimate by an experts panel at the health ministry showed Wednesday.
- Japan should aim to normalize its coronavirus travel controls for foreigners as soon as possible, some members of a government panel said Wednesday, calling for a gradual reopening of its borders for tourists to boost the economy.
- China's radical "zero-COVID" policy is believed to be undermining public support for the leadership of President Xi Jinping, who is seeking to secure a controversial third term as the country's leader later this year, critics say.
- A Japanese health ministry panel approved Wednesday a plan to initially administer fourth COVID-19 vaccine shots only to the elderly and people with underlying medical conditions.
- U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday tested positive for the novel coronavirus, but has exhibited no symptoms and has not been in close contact with President Joe Biden, the White House said.
<April 25, 2022>
- People in Beijing's biggest district of Chaoyang, where a large number of foreign expats live, tried to stock up on enough food on Monday amid mounting fears about a possible lockdown, as the Chinese capital began carrying out mass COVID-19 tests in the central area.
- Over half of Japan's population has received their third COVID-19 vaccine dose, with 86.9 percent of those aged 65 and above vaccinated, government data showed Monday.
<April 24, 2022>
- The chief of the International Monetary Fund's Japan mission believes the yen's rapid recent slide could hamper the pandemic-stricken Japanese economy from returning to a steady growth pathway by raising import costs and hurting consumer spending.
<April 21, 2022>
- Japan's government on Thursday upgraded its key economic assessment for the first time in four months, citing a recovery in private consumption, as the effects of the coronavirus pandemic wane.
<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.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - April 16~22
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)