Multilingual Coronavirus Hotlines In Japan
Authorities in some prefectures where people are confirmed to be infected with the new coronavirus are providing multilingual information services for foreigners visiting or living in Japan.
Okinawa Prefecture has set up a round-the-clock hotline serviced by medical professionals who provide information on medical institutions that can handle foreign languages. The service is available in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Vietnamese and Thai. The phone number is 0570-050-235.
In Kumamoto Prefecture, the Kumamoto Support Center for Foreign Residents is offering telephone consultations in 18 languages: English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Nepalese, Indonesian, Tagalog, Thai, Portuguese, Spanish, Malay, French, Russian, German, Italian, Burmese, Khmer, and Mongolian.
The service is available on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. The phone number is 080-4275-4489.
Fukuoka Prefecture has a hotline, which is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The Multilingual Medical Information Service Call Center provides the service in 17 languages: English, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Nepali, Tagalog, Indonesian, Portuguese, German, Russian, French, Spanish, Italian, Malay, Burmese, and Khmer.
The phone number is 092-286-9595.
A hotline is also available for foreigners visiting Yamaguchi Prefecture and those in the Kyushu region. The service is provided 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The service is available in 17 languages: English, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Nepali, Tagalog, Indonesian, Portuguese, German, Russian, French, Spanish, Italian, Malay, Burmese, and Khmer.
The phone number is 092-687-6639.
Osaka Prefecture is offering telephone services in 10 languages including English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Thai, Indonesian and Nepalese. The Osaka Foundation of International Exchange is providing a hotline on weekdays and on the second and fourth Sundays. The phone number is 06-6941-2297.
The Osaka International House Foundation is also offering telephone services in English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Tagalog. The phone number is 06-6773-6533.
And the Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau has a hotline exclusively in Chinese. The phone numbers are 080-1460-7627 and 080-1463-3489.
In Hyogo Prefecture, the Hyogo International Association Information and Advisory Service offers consultation services from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.
The services are available in four languages: English, Chinese, Spanish and Portuguese.
The phone number is 078-382-2052.
Kyoto Prefecture is offering the telephone support services in English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Portuguese and Spanish. The service is provided by the Kyoto Prefectural International Center every day, except for the second and fourth Tuesdays and holidays. The phone number is 075-343-9666.
Wakayama Prefecture is providing information in English, Chinese and Tagalog through the Wakayama International Exchange Center. Tagalog is available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. English and Chinese are available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Wednesday. The phone number is 073-435-5240.
Aichi Prefecture is offering support through its Multilingual Call Center. The call center can be accessed using a smartphone, by first visiting the prefecture's official tourism site Aichi Now, where there is a link to the call center page. A call can be made by pressing the button on the page.
The service is available in 9 languages: English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish for 24 hours.
Thai service is available from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.. Calls in Vietnamese, Tagalog, and French can be made from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m..
Mie Prefecture is offering telephone information in 10 languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Nepalese, Indonesian and Thai.
The service is provided by the Mie Consultation Center for Foreign Residents on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The phone number is 080-3300-8077.
In Gifu Prefecture, the Gifu Prefectural Consultation Center for Foreign Residents accepts inquiries in 14 languages from 9: 30 a.m. to 4: 30 p.m. on weekdays.
The service is available in English, Chinese, Portuguese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian, Nepalese, Korean, Spanish, Khmer, Myanmar, Malay and Mongolian. The phone number is 058-263-8066.
In Ishikawa Prefecture, the Ishikawa Foundation for International Exchange is offering phone consultations in five languages: English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese and Russian.
The service is available on weekdays, from 9:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. The phone number is 076-222-5950.
In Nagano Prefecture, the Nagano Multilingual Call Center is offering telephone consultations free of charge around the clock every day of the year.
The service is available in 17 languages: English, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Indonesian, German, French, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Nepalese, Tagalog, Malay, Burmese, and Khmer.
The phone number is 0120-691-792.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is offering a hotline for speakers of English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Thai and can refer people to relevant public health centers as necessary. The service is provided by the Tokyo Metropolitan Health and Medical Information Center "Himawari" from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day including weekends and holidays. The phone number is 03-5285-8181.
In Saitama Prefecture, the Saitama Information & Support is offering telephone support services in 10 languages: English, Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Tagalog, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian and Nepalese.
The service is available on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The phone number is 048-833-3296.
Hokkaido Prefecture is also providing an information hotline in English, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Thai, Russian, Nepalese, Indonesian and Burmese. The service is provided by the Hokkaido Foreign Resident Support Center. The phone number is 011-200-9595. The service is available on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
