Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from Japan and beyond:  

A horse and its rider attempt to get over a 2-meter-high mud wall at Tado Taisha, a Shinto shrine in Kuwana, Mie Prefecture, on May 4, 2023, during a festival to pray for good harvests. The festival is said to date back to the 14th century, and it is believed the greater the number of times the horse makes it over the wall, the larger the crop yield in the region. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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  • Developing Asian economies are projected to see their gross domestic product grow by 4.8 percent in 2023 and 2024, up from 4.2 percent in 2022, the Asian Development Bank said Tuesday. According to the ADB, Developing Asia, which groups 46 economies in the Asia-Pacific region, excluding Japan, Australia and New Zealand, is set to see higher growth than last year due in part to China's removal of COVID-19 restrictions and solid domestic demand in India.

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Japan and beyond: Week in Photos - April 29~May 5



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)