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[English] Information about COVID-19 in Kumamoto

最終更新日：

Kumamoto’s COVID-19 Risk Level remains at Level 3 (as of April 16)

  • There were 39 new cases confirmed between April 8 and 14, including 19 whose infection routes are unknown.

  • People who are travelling outside the prefecture, or meeting friends they have not seen in a long time should download the Contact-Tracing app, “COCOA別ウィンドウで開きます（External link）”, which was released by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

  • Regarding the revision to the Risk Level system:

    The system which previously included 5 risk levels (Level 0 – 4) has been revised to now cover 6 risk levels. The following is a list of the levels and the criteria for when each level will be announced.

     

    Level 5:   More than 150 new COVID-19 cases have been confirmed over a one week period

    Level 4:  More than 50 new cases, and/or 25 cases with unknown infection routes are confirmed over a one week period

    Level 3:   More than 30 new cases, more than 15 cases with unknown infection routes and/or a number of small infection clusters have been confirmed over a one week period

    Level 2:   Cases continue to be identified but the criteria for Level 3 are not reached.

    Level 1:   There have been no confirmed cases in Kumamoto Prefecture recently.

    Level 0:   There have been no confirmed cases in Japan. People will be asked to continue following the “New Lifestyle” guidelines

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 The number of confirmed infections in Kumamoto

Case 3631 (April 18)  -  Male in his 60s, Kumamoto City  -  Investigation into infection route ongoing
Case 3630 (April 18)  -  Male in his 30s, Kumamoto City  -  Investigation into infection route ongoing
Case 3629 (April 18)  -  Male in his 40s, Kumamoto City  -  Investigation into infection route ongoing
Case 3628 (April 17)  -  Male in his 50s, Kumamoto City  -  Developed a fever from Apr. 16, Unknown infection route
Case 3627 (April 17)  -  Male in his 80s, Kumamoto City  -  Contact with the 3615th case 
Case 3626 (April 18)  -  Female in her 60s, Nagasu Town  -  Related to the 3573rd case
Case 3625 (April 17)  -  Male in his 40s, Amakusa City  -  Unknown infection route
Case 3624 (April 17)  -  Male in his 60s, Arao City  -  Acquaintance of the 3572nd case
Case 3623 (April 17)  -  Male in his 30s, Nagasu Town  -  Self-employed, Unknown infection route
Case 3522 (April 17)  -  Male in his 50s, Yatsushiro City  -  Corporate employee, Unknown infection route
Case 3621 (April 17)  -  Male in his 30s, Koshi City  -  Employee at a dining establishment, Unknown infection route
Case 3620 (April 17)  -  Male in his 60s, Nagasaki Prefecure  -  Fatigue from Apr. 14, Dined out outside the prefecture on Apr. 9, In Kumamoto City since Apr. 15
Case 3619 (April 17)   -  Female in her 50s, Kumamoto City   -  Contact with a confirmed case from outside the prefecture
Case 3618 (April 17)  -  Female in her 90s, Kumamoto City  -   Nursing Home cluster
Case 3617 (April 17)   -  Male under 10, Kumamoto City   -  Contact with a confirmed case
Case 3616 (April 17)  -  Male in his 30s, Kumamoto City  -  Contact with the 3587th case 
Case 3615 (April 16)  -  Female in her 80s, Kumamoto City  -  Contact with the 3577th case
Case 3614 (April 16)  -  Female in her 90s, Kumamoto City  -   Nursing Home cluster
Case 3613 (April 17)  -  Male in his 60s, Kumamoto City  -  Contact with the 3587th case 
Case 3612 (April 16)  -  Male in his 50s, Kumamoto City  -  Contact with the 3587th case 
Case 3611 (April 16)  -  Female in her 50s, Kumamoto City  -  Contact with the 3587th case
Case 3610 (April 16)  -  Male in his 80s, Arao City  -  Arao City Hospital cluster

Consultation Center

Kumamoto Prefecture Consultation Center for COVID-19

If you experience any of the following symptoms, please do not leave your home and phone Consultation Center for COVID-19
  • Advise those who are unsure whether they are experiencing symptoms
  • Provide information about COVID-19
  • Connect you to a public health center which can arrange for you to visit a medical center (outpatient clinic) to receive a test for COVID-19
092-687-7962（Available 24/7）

Kumamoto Prefecture Consultation Center for COVID-19 (Call Center)
096-300-5909（Available 24/7）
  

Consultation Service for the COVID-19 Vaccinations

096-285-5622（8:30-17:30）Japanese Only

 

This hotline is available to consult about the safety, efficacy, and potential side effects of the vaccine.

For information about where the vaccines will be administered please contact your municipality directly.


>>FAQ about the COVID-19 Vaccine別ウィンドウで開きます

List of available financial supports

About adapting to a “New Normal” （2020.May 4）

10 important guidelines for achieving an 80% reduction in person-to-person contact別ウィンドウで開きます
Both general businesses and businesses which serve food must implement infection prevention measures outlined in a checklist issued別ウィンドウで開きます by the prefecture before they will be allowed to re-open.


For Employers

Subsidy for Businesses　熊本県事業継続・再開支援一時金

This subsidy will be offered to businesses which were affected by the state of emergency between Jan. 14 and Feb. 17. 
Companies will be eligible to receive up to ￥400,000 while sole proprietors will be eligible to receive up to ￥200,000.

Eligibility
1. Businesses who were affected by shortened store opening hours during the state of emergency
　e.g.) Farmers, fishermen, food and beverage sellers, oshibori suppliers etc. 

2. Businesses affected by the request for residents to avoid unnecessary travel
e.g.) Inns, souvenir stores, taxi companies etc.

For the above businesses to be eligible their sales/income must have decreased by more than 50% during January and February when compared with the same period from 2019 and/or 2020.
* Dining establishments which are already eligible for compensation due to shortening their opening hours will not be eligible for this subsidy
*You will not be eligible for the one time subsidy別ウィンドウで開きます（外部リンク） from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry if you receive this subsidy.

Please apply online (Japanese only):
Companies can apply from the following link:
Sole proprietors can apply from this link:

*Tax returns from 2019 and/or 2020 will be required.

For enquiries:
Kumamoto Prefecture “Ichiji-kin” Call Center　096-387-1515

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For Workers

About special loans (emergency loans, comprehensive support) in light of the COVID-19 pandemic

[生活福祉資金貸付制度　Seikatsu fukushi shikin kashitsuke seido ]

Each municipality's Social Welfare Council offer special loans to registered residents who are facing difficulties due to unemployment as a direct result of the spread of COVID-19

・ Small Emerency Loans: These are loans for amounts up to ￥200,000. The deadline for applications is the end of June 2021 
・ Comprehensive Support Loan (first time): This is a loan of any amount necessary. The deadline for applications is the end of June 2021
・ Extension of Comprehensive Support Loans: People who applied for their first Comprehensive Support Loan before the end of March 2021 are eligible to request an extension
・ Repeat applications for a Comprehensive Support Loan must be submitted by the end of June 2021

Loan applications should be sent to your municipality's social welfare council
Those requring multilingual support should contact the Kumamoto Support Center for Foreign Residents on 090-4275-4489
 

Rent Payment Assistance

Those who have been affected by the spread of COVID-19 and cannot keep up with rent payments on their home, and those who do not have a place of residence can apply for financial aid for rent payments. In principle this support can be received for 3 months but it is possibleto extend for up to 9 months.
Application Deadline: End of June 2021

For applications and enquires please contact the relevant organization in your municipality.
Those requring multilingual support should contact the Kumamoto Support Center for Foreign Residents on 090-4275-4489

Unemployment Insurance [失業保険　Shitsugyou hoken ]

The benefits you can receive vary depending on your salary and your number of years of service. However, you can apply to receive between 50-80% of your wage for 3 months, if you experience job loss during this time.

 


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For Single Parents

Subsidy for single-parent households (Dec. 18)

This is a financial subsidy for single-parent households which are facing financial difficulties. 
Those who meet the eligibility criteria and who reside in Kumamoto Prefecture can receive this subsidy. 

Eligible households will receive 50,000yen, plus an additional 30,000yen for each child after the second child.
 (E.g. If a household has 3 children they will receive an additional 30,000yen. An additional 60,000yen will be awarded to households with 4 children.)

Eligible persons are those who received the first single-parent household subsidy which was distributed in summer, and who meet one of the following 3 criteria.
  1. Households which received the child-rearing allowance (“Jidofuyo Teate”) for the month of June 2020.
  2. Households which do not receive the child-rearing allowance (“Jidofuyo Teate”) but in which the parent  receives a public pension
  3. A single-parent who has been affected by the spread of COVID-19 and who earns the same amount as those who are eligible for child-rearing allowance (“Jidofuyo Teate”) 
How to Apply:
  • Households which have already received the first subsidy do not need to apply again. 
Eligible households will receive an information leaflet from their municipality. 
It is expected that the subsidy will be paid by December 25th.

  • Households which did not receive the first subsidy in summer may still be eligible.
In this case, it is necessary to submit an application.

For more information and/or assistance with the application process please contact the Support Center for 
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For Student

”Gakusei Shien Kyufu-kin” Student Support Benefits 学生緊急支援給付金

Financial support is available for students who are facing financial difficulties with continuing their studies due to a decrease in income from part-time work.

Eligible students：Students of public and private universities (including graduate schools), junior colleges, technical schools, specialized schools (E.g. Exchange students attending a Japanese language school) who are reliant on the income from part-time work to pay their tuition fees
Grant amount：Students from a household which is exempt from Residence Tax* - ￥200,000  
      Other students - ￥100,000
*Disabled persons, minors, widows and widowers who receive whose total income for the previous year was less than ￥1.25million and who receive welfare payments

For more information, please consult with your educational institution.
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Lifestyle Information

 Deferring payment of water and sewage charges

Due to the spread of COVID-19, municipalities have been ask to allow people to defer payments of their water and sewage bills if they become unable to pay. 
Please contact the Water and Sewage Department in your area for more details 

Prefectural Tax Exemption for those who face financial difficulties due to COVID-19

This tax exemption is applicable to:
・People whose families have been infected with COVID-19, or who have been infected themselves
・Facilities where furnishings and other items had to be discarded by a disinfection team, following a confirmed case of COVID-19 
・Businesses which were forced to close or have gone out of business
・Businesses whose income has decreased

Please contact the Tax Collection Division in your area for more details.
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Information from  the immigration Bureau

Regarding medium to long-term residents who are facing difficulties returning to their home countries at the end of their Period of Stay (Information as of May 21)

You may apply to change to a 6-month “Designated Activities” visa
Students who have graduate since January 1 2020 may acquire part-time work
Former technical trainees should speak to their supervisory organization about their options

Application for an Extension to your Period of Stay (information as of May 12)

●Regarding applications for a change to Status of Residence or extension of Period of Stay別ウィンドウで開きます（ExternalLink）
The application period for visa changes has been extended until 3 months after the original expiration of Period of Stay. 

●In the case that you have already applied for the (above) extension and have a Residence Card
The period in which the results of your application will be released (and you will receive your new Residence Card) has been extended by 3 months 

●Status of Residence: It is possible to renew your Period of Stay if you face difficulties returning to your country due to working as an EPA Nurse or care worker, provided that the job category does not change and you continue to be employed at the same institution or facility as you have been up until now. 

Employment support for Technical Interns who are having difficulties continuing their practical training （Updated: April 20）

Many technical interns are facing unemployment due to the spread of COVID-19 or having difficulties continuing their practical training during this time. Many skilled foreign workers also must find new employment. Once you have decided on a job, you can be employed on a “Designated Activities” visa for up to one year. 

If you would like to continue working in Japan, please contact the Immigration Bureau or the Organization for Technical Intern Training (OTIT) for more information. 


Fukuoka Immigration Bureau　092-717-5420

Foreign Resident General Information Center   0570-013904（Open weekdays　08:30-17:15）


OTIT Call Center　03-3453-8000（Open weekdays　09:00-17:00）

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Call Center for foreign visitors to Japan

Call Center for foreign visitors to Japan

A 24-hour hotline to provide information about COVID-19 to travelers and to deal with any emergency issues.

Consultation Available in English, Korean and Chinese

Japan Visitor Hotline別ウィンドウで開きます（External link） 　050-3816-2787(24hours)

Safety tips

The disaster information app for foreign travelers in Japan, “Safety tips” has expanded its language support to include 14 languages
New supported languages: Khmer, Burmese and Mongolian
Other supported languages: English, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Korean, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian, Tagalog and Nepalese

The app is free to use

The app notifies the user of the following:
Earthquake early warnings, tsunami warnings, severe weather warnings, volcanic eruptions, heat advisories, issues of national security (such as missile launches), and evacuation advisories

Download the app here
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Kumamoto Support Center For Foreign Residents
熊本県外国人サポートセンター

〒862-8570 熊本市中央区水前寺6丁目18番1号　県庁本館7階
Tel:080-4275-4489

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Kumamoto Support Center For Foreign Residents
熊本県外国人サポートセンター

〒862-8570 熊本市中央区水前寺6丁目18番1号　県庁本館7階
Tel:080-4275-4489