About Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Press Conference

February 28, 2020

Press Conference by Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, KATO Katsunobu Friday, February 28, 2020, 8:47 a.m. Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

※Please click the "subtitles" in the video button, and you click the “Settings” afterwards, and please choose English among "Subtitles/cc" to see English subtitles.

February 25, 2020

Press Conference by Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, KATO Katsunobu Tuesday, February 25, 2020, 3:30 p.m. Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

※Please click the "subtitles" in the video button, and you click the “Settings” afterwards, and please choose English among "Subtitles/cc" to see English subtitles.

February 23, 2020

Press Conference by Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, KATO Katsunobu Sunday,
February 23, 2020, 6:30 p.m. Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
Summarized in English by Senior Coordinator for Global Health Cooperation, International Affairs Division
Please refer to the handout:Purpose of new coronavirus measures(basic concept)[102KB]
 

Prevention Measures and Guide of Consultation

It is important to wash your hands frequently and to cover your mouth and nose with a tissue, or with the crook of your arm if a tissue is unavailable, when coughing or sneezing to protect yourself and others from the virus, just as you do for the common cold or the flu. We strongly recommend everyday preventive actions to help keep the virus from spreading.

If you have any of the following symptoms, please consult with the consultation center for people with potential exposure to COVID-19:
- You have had cold symptoms or a fever of 37.5°C or over for four days or more.
(including when you need to continue to take an antipyretic)
- You have a strong feeling of weariness (fatigue) or shortness of breath (difficulty breathing).
* Please also consult with the consultation center if you are a senior citizen or have an underlying disease, and you have had the symptoms mentioned above for about two days.
If the consultation center suspects that you have been infected with the virus, it will introduce you to a medical institution where medical services for people with potential exposure to COVID-19 are available. Please visit the medical institution, wearing a facemask, and refrain from using public transportation.

The infection control measures taken at the Cruise ship “Diamond Princess”(provisional translation)

The infection control measures taken at the Cruise ship “Diamond Princess”(provisional translation)
PDF[29KB]

 
 

【Press Conference】Basic Policies for Prevention and Control of the Novel Coronavirus

On March 2, Government Officials and Experts held a press conference on the case of the coronavirus at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Conducted by:
SAHARA Yasuyuki Senior Assistant Minister for Globel Health, Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare
SUZUKI Tadaki M.D., Ph.D. Director, Department of Pathology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases
OSUMI Yo Deputy Director-General/ Deputy Assistant Minister, Consular Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
KAMOSHIDA Naoaki Assistant Press Secretary/ Director, International Press Division, Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
INATSU Toshinobu Immigration Services Agency/ Deputy Director, Border Management Division
NODA Hiroyuki M.D., Ph.D. Councilor, Coordination Office of Measures on Emerging Infectious Diseases Office for Pandemic Influenza and Infectious Diseases Preparedness and Response, Cabinet Secretariat

Please refer to the YouTube video as follows;
YouTube video:Basic Policies for Prevention and Control of the Novel Coronavirus
 

【Press Conference】Expert Meeting on the Novel Coronavirus Disease Control

On February 24, Experts held a press conference on the case of the novel coronavirus at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
Conducted by:
Members of Expert Meeting on the Novel Coronavirus Disease
- OMI Shigeru,M.D.,Ph.D., President, Japan Community Health care Organization
- OHMAGARI Norio,M.D.,Ph.D., Director, Disease Control & Prevention Center, National Center for Global Health and Medicine
- KITA Yosuke, Senior Coordinator for Global Health Cooperation, International Affairs Division, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
Please refer to the YouTube video clips and figures used in their explanation as follows;
YouTube video clips:Part1,Part2,Part3,Part4,Part5,Part6,Part7
Figure:Number of new symptomatic coronavirus infektion cases and fever reports,by date of onset,Cruise Ship DP,as of February 23,2020[68KB]


Press Conference:Situation of the COVID-19 in the Cruise Ship "Diamond Princess"

Press Conference on the Situation of the novel Coronavirus Disease in the Cruise Ship off the coast of Yokohama was held in the MOFA Press Conference Room from 20:40 to 21:40 on Friday 21 February 2020.
Professor, SUZUKI Motoi, M.D., MSc., PHDC, Ph.D., of Infectious Disease Surveillance Center, National Institute of Infectious Disease and Professor, NISHIURA Hiroshi, M.D., Ph.D., DTM&H, of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Hokkaido University explained the situation based on their analysis using the data obtained on the cruise ship.
Please refer to the YouTube video clips and figures used in their explanation as follows;
YouTube video clips:Part1,Part2,Part3,Part4
Figure 1: Changes in the number of new coronavirus infection cases and fever reports on the cruise ship (as of February 19) [374KB]
Figure 2: Number of COVID-19 cases with symptoms among the passengers on the Cruise ship (by close contact status, as of 02/19/2020) [412KB]
Figure 3: Number of predicted infections from one patient, by generation (Reproduction rate)[182KB]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation within and outside the country

As of 12:00, Mar. 2, 232 cases have been confirmed.

 

According to official government reports from other counties, as of 11:00, Mar. 2, 88,053 infectious cases and 3,030 deaths were confirmed.

○Confirmed cases outside Japan
Country / Region Confirmed Cases Deaths
China 80,026 2,912
Hong Kong 98
Macau 10
Taiwan 40 1
Thailand 42 1
South Korea 4,212 22
US 69 1
Vietnam 16
Singapore 106
France 130
Australia 29
Malaysia 25
Nepal
Canada 20
Cambodia
Sri Lanka
Germany 131
United Arab Emirates 21
Finland
Italy 1,694 34
India
Philippines
UK 35
Russia
Sweden 14
Spain 83
Belgium
Egypt
Iran 978 54
Israel
Lebanon 10
Kuwait 46
Bahrain 47
Oman
Afghanistan
Iraq 13
Algeria
Austria 14
Switzerland 24
Croatia
Brazil
Georgia
Pakistan
North Macedonia
Greece
Norway 19
Romania
Kingdom of Denmark
Republic of Estonia
Kingdom of the Netherlands 10
Republic of San Marino
Lithuania
Nigeria
Iceland
Azerbaijan
Belarus
New Zealand
Mexico
Qatar
Luxembourg
Monaco
Ecuador
Ireland
Czech Republic
Armenia
Dominican Republic
※ China: New definition in use to diagnose since February 13(Clinically  diagnosed cases are now included in Hubei)
 

Q & A on 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)

Q & A on 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)

Call centers for foreign tourists

Tourists from other countries may seek help on https://www.japan.travel/en/plan/hotline/

Medical institutions offering assistance in foreign languages

You can find the medical institutions offering assistance in foreign languages on the following website.
Click here Medical institutions offering assistance in foreign languages

Reference ( from press release on the ministry website)