<Jan. 16, 2023>

• China has approved issuing some types of visas to Japanese and South Korean citizens as exceptions of its policy of suspending visa facilities after the neighbors tightened border controls on visitors from China, a Chinese government source said Monday.
  
  
• All Nippon Airways Co. plans to offer its flight attendants the option of working two days a week, starting fiscal 2023, enabling them to pursue second jobs as the coronavirus pandemic has dented demand for air travel, company sources said Monday.

<Jan. 14, 2023>

• Chinese health authorities reported Saturday nearly 60,000 deaths related to COVID-19 in just over a month, amid growing international criticism that Beijing's official data do not reflect the reality on the ground.
  
  
• The Japanese government is considering no longer asking the public to wear masks indoors in principle unless they have symptoms, a government source said Saturday, possibly changing the public's daily anti-coronavirus practice drastically.
  
  
• Japanese drugmaker Daiichi Sankyo Co. has applied with the health ministry for approval of a new coronavirus vaccine, aiming to be the first in the nation to put a domestically developed messenger RNA vaccine into use.

<Jan. 12, 2023>

• Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed disappointment Wednesday over China's decision to suspend the issuance of visas to Japanese travelers in response to Tokyo tightening border controls on visitors from China to prevent the spread of coronavirus infections.
  
  
• An expert panel under Japan's health ministry on Wednesday urged the government to take a "gradual" approach to a downgrade of COVID-19's legal status to the same level as seasonal influenza, saying robust coronavirus measures must be sustained.

<Jan. 11, 2023>

• Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi expressed Tuesday opposition to China's decision to suspend the issuing of visas to Japanese travelers and protested through diplomatic channels.

<Jan. 10, 2023>

• China has suspended the issuance of visas to Japanese travelers, several travel industry sources said Tuesday, after Beijing threatened to take countermeasures against Japan and some other countries for their tighter COVID-19 entry restrictions for travelers from China.

<Jan. 9, 2023>

• Japan will add travelers flying directly from Macau to rules on entries from China requiring they present a negative test before departure, the government said Monday, amid surging cases in China.

<Jan. 8, 2023>

• Sales of "yakitori" skewered grilled chicken at Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan have been temporarily suspended due to a coronavirus outbreak among workers at the plant that supplies the venue's popular traditional snack, the Japan Sumo Association said.

• Japan's cumulative total of COVID-19 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic exceeded 60,000 on Sunday, a tally showed, in the midst of the eighth wave of coronavirus infections.
  
  
• Japan further tightened border controls for travelers from mainland China on Sunday, requiring proof of testing negative for COVID-19 amid a surge of cases in the neighboring country.

---

Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - Jan. 7~13

---

---

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)

---