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Health Minister Norihisa Tamura speaks to reporters on Friday. Image: KYODO
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COVID-19 numbers in Tokyo area creeping up, health minister says

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Exactly, this is ridiculous. How much longer can they continue with this foolish game of cat and mouse? Get people vaccinated. It’s the only way out.

32 ( +38 / -6 )

Wait! What?? Didn’t see that coming!

17 ( +19 / -2 )

"Lifting the measures will be based on putting in place a system to ensure there's not a rebound in cases,"

Cases will rebound as Japan is so far behind in vaccinations. When the PM goes to the US, he should ask Joe advice on how to speed things up. Come on J-Gov. Start promoting GO TO VACCINATE.

19 ( +22 / -3 )

Of course they are, like the number's are creeping up in a lot of countries. If Japan actually did testing on the scale of other developed countries, the number's would be skyrocketing.

23 ( +25 / -2 )

If Japan has instigated a true state of emergency or "Lock Down", like in the UK, things wouldn't be so bad. Their version of a SoE was laughable; just "no bars after 8pm, okay?". What a farce!

10 ( +21 / -11 )

"Lifting the measures will be based on putting in place a system to ensure there's not a rebound in cases,"

Yeah, and that system is called a state of emergency. I wonder how they feel about their wait and see vaccination approach now?

13 ( +14 / -1 )

Tokyo - and Japan - are racing to bring coronavirus cases under control and vaccinations well under way 

What??? This is a joke right???

Take it as seriously as..

The country has so far recorded about 441,000 coronavirus cases and 8,400 deaths.

Where's my salt shaker?

6 ( +10 / -4 )

The Japanese Government know what they are doing. Don't second guess them. [ Sarcasm ] ; ^ 0

16 ( +18 / -2 )

Tokyo - and Japan - are racing to bring coronavirus cases under control and vaccinations well under way

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!

Vaccinations are less than half the rate of Zimbabwe.

Racing? My winking ring.

22 ( +23 / -1 )

"Lifting the measures will be based on putting in place a system to ensure there's not a rebound in cases," he said

There was never a “system” after a year of pandemic, neither during state of emergency. Everyone lost hope on a system to reduce the real number of infections and lower the pressure on the very few hospitals that accept covid patients.

The only system here so far is the no test, no tracing, no vaccine that we have been witnessing.

Tokyo - and Japan - are racing to bring coronavirus cases under control and vaccinations well under way as it prepares to host the Summer Olympics, which start July 23.

Racing? You mean pretending the virus doesn’t exist?

As long as the Olympics go ahead, mission accomplished ne?!

18 ( +18 / -0 )

"Lifting the measures will be based on putting in place a system to ensure there's not a rebound in cases," he said.

As soon as the restrictions are lifted the bars, clubs and restaurants will be full again and new cases will quickly jump back to a couple of thousand every day. The SOE is not enough to control the virus. It has reduced the number of new cases, but has not made any difference to the presence of the virus.

10 ( +11 / -1 )

@NorthernlifeToday  

What a mess...but hey Japanese know better than the entire World... IMO: duly bridled with the abilene syndrome of broad denial and cognitive dissonance, until its too late.

10 ( +11 / -1 )

Wait! What??? @MichaelMachida 4:57pm Did you know if you turn your monitor sideways, this ; ^ 0 make a funny little face? [ Sarcasm ]

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

No. The other way.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Having a few thousand people attend something at Jingu Baseball Stadium this afternoon, with people all taking their masks off to drinkalcohol, and then super crowded sidewalks as they left... yeah... that is part of the plan right? That will slow the spread?

There is no plan.

12 ( +13 / -1 )

Get people vaccinated. It’s the only way out.

No, that’s one of the ways to stay in. It’s everywhere like in a dark chamber with a green emergency exit sign over the door. Now I and some other clever people would expect someone to move there and go through, but no, the whole planet touches blindly the walls, floor and ceiling and strictly denies the existence of that lighted exit sign. And if you say, look, there it is, the one and only possible exit, let’s try that door, only once, please, then everyone shouts no, we don’t like your advice, we just have to and prefer to only search a little bit more on the ground, at the walls and on the ceiling as there are probably hidden and somewhat working vaccines. lol

-10 ( +1 / -11 )

How about Japan Today reporting some positive news about Covid as reported on other reportable websites. Daichi Sankyo actually started producing the AZ vaccine here, in Japan as of this week. This is next up for approval.

-11 ( +1 / -12 )

Tokyo residents are victims of the Olympics.

11 ( +12 / -1 )

The SoE currently "in place" is nothing.

My company ordered workers back in on the day it was announced, and I know many companies never even bothered with it.

The trains are standing room only morning and night.

Restaurants are packed at lunchtime.

There aren't many bars closing at 8, no matter how much of the penurious "incentives" they're claiming from the government to pretend they are doing so.

I know for a fact the karaoke joints, drinking dens and rub-and-tug shops in certain areas of town are open until 5am, because people I know keep telling me so, and then they come into the office the next day looking like sh!te.

So why are we pretending there's any surprise about the numbers "creeping" up?

My only surprise is that any numbers are being reported at all. This bunch of LDP losers can't even get proopaganda right.

9 ( +11 / -2 )

Polititions, please ramp up the vaccination rate. You have had more than enough time to study for this exam. So far you have failed! Maybe it's time to put some younger people in charge, they move faster. This might be an opportunity to ramp up the number of women in leadership positions too. Let's give women a chance, these old men aren't doing so well. (a little reverse discrimination might help get things moving)

6 ( +7 / -1 )

How about Japan Today reporting some positive news about Covid as reported on other reportable websites. 

unfortunately, nothing sells like bad news.

-6 ( +3 / -9 )

Apologies @P.Smith 5:54p. Just can’t abide the ‘silliness’ of all this back and forth anymore. So tired on the untruths and manipulations.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Now I and some other clever people would expect someone to move there and go through

Ask those other clever people to help you with a better analogy, because that one was a tough read.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Not only in Tokyo, in all parts that are not locked down.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

when u think about it, bars closing at 8pm is a state of emergency in Tokyo.

6 ( +9 / -3 )

Japan's COVID-19 inoculation campaign began only last month with health workers and has been moving slowly, hampered by a lack of supply.

Or lack of intelligence?

Didn't one company turn an entire batch useless, due to ignorance? And another have an ample amount of vaccines, but not enough needles? Isn't this also the country that continually thinks they are NUMBER 1! When they couldn't, and still come up with their own local vaccine, yet they crap on foreign developed ones?

So sad Japan, so sad. WAKE UP!

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Bernard Marx

Really? Like in the UK?

Last I checked the UK was about 10 times worse off than Japan and doesnt even have the same population.

Thank goodness we arent like the UK

0 ( +6 / -6 )

Tokyo - and Japan - are racing to bring coronavirus cases under control and vaccinations well under way 

What??? This is a joke right???

I think the writer meant that they are trying to get vaccinations under way, but English is obviously not his/her strong point.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

If you are so afraid of the virus (and maybe some should be due to serious health problems like morbid obesity, severe asthma, diabetes, etc...) then lock yourself up in your plastic bubble. Meanwhile, others can get busy living(not getting busy dying).

0 ( +7 / -7 )

I said this two days a go its like a see-saw up and down and the government are playing to the Covid Olympics!

4 ( +4 / -0 )

attention citizens! You are starting to lose fear. The department of hysteria demands you remain in a state of indefinite terror!

Attention citizens!

-6 ( +4 / -10 )

Get those shots in peoples arms. NOW.

Its clear the authorities are very shy about testing (and thus tracing) so RAPID vaccination is the only solution.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

If you are so afraid of the virus (and maybe some should be due to serious health problems like morbid obesity, severe asthma, diabetes, etc...) then lock yourself up in your plastic bubble. Meanwhile, others can get busy living(not getting busy dying).

Thats what so many dummies in the US have been parroting for over a year.

Just look how that turned out.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Hot take, but I think they should just Lift the lockdown. It's literally doing nothing besides screwing over people with visas that's trying to get into the country. It's not even a "lockdown" to begin with. They act like covid only roams after 8 pm. Not even just that, but Some Restaurants don't even close after 8. They don't enforce the lockdown.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

Quite simple really... Stop all international travel until the Pandemic subsides.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Yokota base commander eased restricted travel (https://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/air-force-commander-in-japan-allows-travel-to-all-of-tokyo-as-virus-numbers-dwindle-1.665015), which in my opinion was extremely reckless! I understand the frustrations of those at the base not being able to travel in-country, but consider those that are trying to return to Japan. An uptick in cases means longer state of emergency. I am a US citizen, retired AF, and with a Japan residence visa but cannot travel back to my home in Japan because of the state of emergency. Easing the travel restrictions of those at the base is also disrespectful to the Japanese people. You are placing them at higher risk. Everyone knows that young military members go out on town, drink and thus lose their "smarts" in doing what is right. They think that they are invincible and do not respect others that may be at a higher risk for this virus. I find the actions of this base commander to be unprofessional and disrespectful to the Japanese people. He/She should be reprimanded and possibly removed from their current position and reassigned to another base outside of Japan.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Don’t worry we have the Olympics forget the pandemic that’s not important , whoops forgot we have not vaccinated our citizens, we can do that later, so let’s cancel all restrictions...

2 ( +3 / -1 )

A few hundred cases a day for the Kanto area is nothing at all. There is about 35 millions people in Kanto.

Again, an alarmist article about covid and some poor writing ("vaccinations well under way" then after, "inoculation campaign has been moving slowly")

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

didou- a few hundred cases in an area with 35 million people is statistically irrelevant, or in other words equal to zero. Seems they want to keep lockdown measures in place for some reason.

If hospital capacity is at risk, that would be a good reason, though it is hard to fathom that hospitals can be anywhere near capacity. In the U.S., with 30x the infection rate, hospitals never ran out of capacity.

It does not add up, and government officials don't help their cause by providing little details or end goals. Everyone is left to make wild guesses and assumptions.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

hampered by a lack of supply.

That last sentence is not factual. There are way more supplies that aren’t being used yet. Stop blaming other countries for Japan’s slowness.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

"That last sentence is not factual. There are way more supplies that aren’t being used yet. Stop blaming other countries for Japan’s slowness."

Another well researched comment by JT poster. Can you explain the following stories?

Supply-Chain Obstacles Led to Last Month’s Cut to Pfizer’s Covid-19 Vaccine-Rollout Target

https://www.wsj.com/articles/pfizer-slashed-its-covid-19-vaccine-rollout-target-after-facing-supply-chain-obstacles-11607027787

EU to extend vaccine export restrictions until June

https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-to-extend-coronavirus-vaccine-export-restrictions-until-june/

????????

Think!

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

COVID-19 numbers in Tokyo area creeping up, health minister says

I know, let's have the Olympic Games.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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