Here are the latest updates from Japan and beyond on the coronavirus outbreak:


(Tokyo)

As of 11 p.m., Friday, April 10 (Japan time)

List of shops closed in Tokyo following emergency declaration

As of 11 p.m., Thursday, April 9 (Japan time)

  • The number of people traveling to the normally bustling central Tokyo area was about 60 percent lower than usual on Wednesday morning, a day after a state of emergency for the capital and six other prefectures was declared to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, data analyzed by an information technology firm showed.
  • Japan’s economy in the April-June period is projected to shrink an annualized real 11.08 percent from the previous quarter, marking the third consecutive quarter of contraction and the largest drop in over 11 years due to the coronavirus pandemic.
  • The International Monetary Fund said Thursday it expects the coronavirus pandemic to bring about the worst economic fallout since the Great Depression.
  • China has temporarily closed all land border crossings with Russia as it confirmed a growing number of coronavirus cases imported by people arriving from its northern neighbor.
  • More than 180 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Tokyo on Thursday, a record daily increase, a metropolitan government official said.
  • The Tokyo metropolitan government is arranging to allow barbers and do-it-yourself stores to operate as usual, a source familiar with the plan said Thursday, as the capital, under a state of emergency, seeks to narrow down its list of business suspensions.
  • As the new coronavirus continues to spread in Japan, recovered patients, their families, co-workers and neighbors are facing stigma and discriminatory treatment, a recurrent theme seen in society when people have been faced with new health threats, such as leprosy and the effects of nuclear accidents.
  • A man was arrested in Tokyo on Wednesday for allegedly breaking an entrance door at a sports club that remained open despite the state of emergency declared due to the new coronavirus outbreak, police said.

Useful resources for foreign residents and visitors in Japan

  • NEW! AMDA Medical Information Center’s “Multilingual Consultation Service Regarding COVID-19”
    (April 10~May 20, 2020)
    – Available in English, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends and national holidays. Also available in Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Thai, Spanish, Vietnamese and Portuguese on designated weekdays. Check schedule here.
    03-6233-9266
    – Available in English and Chinese on weekdays only, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
    090-3359-8324
  • Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s COVID-19 info
    https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/flow/
  • Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s hotline
    – Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
    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“
    – Available in English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese 24 hours a day
    050-3816-2787
    +81-50-3816-2787     (from overseas)
    http://www.mlit.go.jp/kankocho/content/001328767.pdf
  • Japan’s health ministry hotline
    – Available in Japanese only, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
    0120-565653
  • World Health Organization’s “Q&A on coronaviruses“
    https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses
(Seoul)