Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond:
<Feb. 12, 2023>
- The Tokyo metropolitan government said new cases of novel coronavirus infections fell below 1,000 for the first time in around eight months, slipping to 799 on Sunday with concern receding about an eighth wave of COVID-19 outbreak.
<Feb. 10, 2023>
- South Korea said Friday it will resume issuing short-term visas for travelers from China as COVID-19 infections in the neighboring country have subsided, with the restrictions lifted from Saturday, earlier than the original end date of late February.
- The Japanese government decided Friday to drastically ease COVID-19 guidelines on mask-wearing on March 13, including those for public transportation and schools, as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida seeks to relax health restrictions for economic and social activities.
<Feb. 9, 2023>
- Singapore announced Thursday that it will remove nearly all of the remaining measures introduced in the last three years to curb the spread of COVID-19.
- Japan is considering easing COVID-19 border controls on travelers arriving from China by the end of this month, a government source said Thursday.
<Feb. 7, 2023>
- Japan's real wages dropped 0.9 percent in 2022 from the previous year for the first decline in two years amid rising inflation, government data showed Tuesday, while household spending continued recovering moderately following the coronavirus pandemic.
<Feb. 6, 2023>
- China on Monday resumed overseas group tours for Chinese citizens after a roughly 3-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the tours will be limited to 20 countries, with Japan excluded from the list.
- With the government effectively abolishing event attendance restrictions meant to curb the coronavirus spread, sports fans and concertgoers may soon be screaming at the top of their lungs, provided they are masked, under a policy shift that is not universally welcomed.
<Feb. 3, 2023>
- The Japanese government is considering dropping its recommendation that people wear face masks at school graduation and entrance ceremonies this spring after assessing the risk of infection with COVID-19 at such events to be low, a person familiar with the matter said Friday.
<Feb. 2, 2023>
- Japan's two biggest airlines on Thursday posted net profit for the April to December period, marking the first time Japan Airlines Co. and ANA Holdings Inc. have been in the black for three quarters of a fiscal year since hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Japanese education minister on Thursday expressed the hope that students will be allowed to attend their graduation ceremonies in the spring without having to wear face masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
<Feb. 1, 2023>
- China will start requiring on Wednesday all visitors on direct flights from South Korea to take a PCR test upon arrival and will quarantine those testing positive for COVID-19, the South Korean Embassy in Beijing said Tuesday.
Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - Feb. 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)