Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: https://time.com/5922918/japan-covid-19-cases-fatigue/
Why Japan, Once a COVID-19 Success Story, Faces the Prospect of a Dark, Deadly Winter
By Tim Hornyak / Tokyo
December 18, 2020 3:36 AM EST
It took weeks of record COVID-19 infections and pleas from experts for Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s government to finally suspend its controversial Go To Travel campaign, which encouraged domestic travel in an effort to support the economy. Then, just hours after the announcement on Monday, Suga was spotted attending a year-end steak dinner party with celebrities and political bosses in the ritzy Ginza district of Tokyo.
These mixed messages from the prime minister, who took over in September following the resignation of Shinzo Abe, drew public anger. But there’s also evidence that they’re taking hold in the wider public—resulting in increasing complacency and confusion among a population that had been credited with helping to make Japan a COVID-19 success story.
“Social distancing is not a new concept for Japan,” says Akihiko Kubo, Japan representative director for Tag, a UK-based marketing service company. “The truth is that Japanese have been keeping social distancing for over 2,000 years. People hardly shake hands, hug or speak loudly. People seldom talk in packed Tokyo subways.
“If you think Japan has achieved marginal success in controlling COVID-19, it is less to do with what the government is doing, and more to do with how people behave, respect and care with each other.”
Over a month into Japan’s third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, things are looking grimmer than ever. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government raised its healthcare alert to the highest level for the first time as an all-time high 822 new infections were confirmed in a single day in the capital. Nationally, Japan’s daily COVID-19 figures have been consistently hitting records since mid-November. While vaccinations have begun in the U.S., the U.K., Canada and elsewhere, immunizations in Japan may still be months away—even though the Tokyo summer Olympics are set to begin in July...
Why Japan, Once a COVID-19 Success Story, Faces the Prospect of a Dark, Deadly Winter
By Tim Hornyak / Tokyo
December 18, 2020 3:36 AM EST
It took weeks of record COVID-19 infections and pleas from experts for Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s government to finally suspend its controversial Go To Travel campaign, which encouraged domestic travel in an effort to support the economy. Then, just hours after the announcement on Monday, Suga was spotted attending a year-end steak dinner party with celebrities and political bosses in the ritzy Ginza district of Tokyo.
These mixed messages from the prime minister, who took over in September following the resignation of Shinzo Abe, drew public anger. But there’s also evidence that they’re taking hold in the wider public—resulting in increasing complacency and confusion among a population that had been credited with helping to make Japan a COVID-19 success story.
“Social distancing is not a new concept for Japan,” says Akihiko Kubo, Japan representative director for Tag, a UK-based marketing service company. “The truth is that Japanese have been keeping social distancing for over 2,000 years. People hardly shake hands, hug or speak loudly. People seldom talk in packed Tokyo subways.
“If you think Japan has achieved marginal success in controlling COVID-19, it is less to do with what the government is doing, and more to do with how people behave, respect and care with each other.”
Over a month into Japan’s third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, things are looking grimmer than ever. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government raised its healthcare alert to the highest level for the first time as an all-time high 822 new infections were confirmed in a single day in the capital. Nationally, Japan’s daily COVID-19 figures have been consistently hitting records since mid-November. While vaccinations have begun in the U.S., the U.K., Canada and elsewhere, immunizations in Japan may still be months away—even though the Tokyo summer Olympics are set to begin in July...