Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond:
<June 11, 2022>
- The United States will end the COVID-19 testing requirement for air travelers entering the country starting Sunday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said, deciding to lift a measure that has been in place for more than a year amid the coronavirus pandemic.
<June 10, 2022>
- Japan on Friday resumed visa procedures to accept foreign tourists, taking the first step toward increasing inbound tourism to help turn around its economy as worries about the COVID-19 pandemic wane.
- Japan's businesses are pinning hopes on an inbound tourism recovery as the country resumed the process of accepting foreign tourists for the first time since suspending it more than two years ago due to the coronavirus pandemic.
<June 9, 2022>
- An Indonesian business partner of a Japanese COVID-19 subsidy fraud suspect said Thursday he felt sorry and shocked over the man's sudden arrest earlier this week.
- When the coronavirus pandemic began over two years ago, people in Japan quickly donned masks en masse with little complaint. But now the government has relaxed its guidance on outdoor mask usage, the message appears not to be filtering through.
- U.S. biotechnology firm Moderna Inc. said Wednesday new clinical data on an experimental coronavirus vaccine showed effectiveness against the Omicron variant, making it the company's lead candidate for distribution as a fall booster shot.
<June 7, 2022>
- The government will ask foreign tourists to wear face masks and take out insurance that covers medical expenses as Japan eases restrictions on entry of visitors imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
<June 4, 2022>
- About 740,000 COVID-19 booster vaccine doses made by Moderna Inc. have been discarded or are expected to be discarded in 27 major cities in Japan due to expiration, a Kyodo News survey showed Saturday, as the country has struggled to offer more third shots to people.
<June 2, 2022>
- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has urged government officials to take steps to expand exports, as the world's second-biggest economy has become sluggish due largely to its radical "zero-COVID" policy, sources close to the matter said Thursday.
<June 1, 2022>
- Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday and will recuperate at home until at least June 11, officials said.
- Shanghai lifted its two-month-long lockdown Wednesday, allowing around 90 percent of its citizens to leave home and resuming public transport.
- Japan doubled the cap on daily arrivals to the country to 20,000 from Wednesday as it continues to ease its COVID-19 border controls amid receding worries about the pandemic.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - June 4~10
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)