Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond:
People wearing face masks walk in the Okinawa Prefecture capital of Naha, southern Japan, on Aug. 23, 2022, amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Kyodo)
<Oct. 1, 2022>
- China's weeklong holiday kicked off Saturday amid a subdued mood before the ruling Communist Party's once-in-five-years congress beginning Oct. 16, with restrictions on people's movement strengthened by the leadership of President Xi Jinping under its radical "zero-COVID" policy.
<Sept. 30, 2022>
- Australia will end mandatory five-day home isolation for people infected with COVID-19 in mid-October, the government said Friday, removing one of the last remaining virus restrictions as the country moves out of the "emergency response" phase of the pandemic.
<Sept. 26, 2022>
- Japan began Monday to simplify its coronavirus reporting system by targeting elderly and high-risk people in a bid to reduce the administrative burden on hospitals and local health centers.
- Japan will run a new domestic tourism subsidy program from Oct. 11 to late December as part of efforts to spur domestic tourism and revive the coronavirus-hit economy, tourism minister Tetsuo Saito said Monday.
<Sept. 23, 2022>
- Japan will launch a new subsidy program to boost domestic tourism on Oct. 11, the same day it plans to remove its daily cap for overseas arrivals as part of easing COVID-19 border control measures.
- Japan will remove its cap on daily arrivals on Oct. 11 as part of its easing of COVID-19 border controls, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday.
<Sept. 22, 2022>
- A large international tourism event kicked off Thursday in Japan for the first time in two years, with the travel industry hoping to overcome setbacks from the coronavirus pandemic as the country gradually eases its border restrictions.
- Japan will ask foreign guests attending the state funeral for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe next week to wear protective face masks to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, the top government spokesman said Thursday.
<Sept. 21, 2022>
- The number of foreign visitors to Japan topped 100,000 for the fifth consecutive month in August following a relaxation of border control, government data showed Wednesday, with the figure likely to keep rising as Japan is looking to lift the entry cap.
- Thailand will downgrade COVID-19 to a "communicable disease under surveillance" from a "dangerous communicable disease," effective Oct. 1, the prime minister's office said Wednesday.
<Sept. 20, 2022>
- The average price of residential land in Japan as of July 1 rose 0.1 percent from the previous year, increasing for the first time in 31 years, as the country's economy recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, government data showed Tuesday.
- Japan on Tuesday began its rollout of vaccines against the Omicron coronavirus variant as part of efforts to stem the ongoing seventh wave of COVID-19 infections in the country.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - Sept. 24~30
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)
