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Gov't leans toward lifting state of emergency at end of month

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51 Comments
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I think the population has already decided it is over.

34 ( +37 / -3 )

In reality the state of emergency has been meaningless. The Olympics, Paralympics, and other large scale events were held throughout, and infections continued to rise.

They are dropping not because of the emergencies, but because people are getting vaccinated and following their own thing.

THe government has been for all intents and purposes useless!

29 ( +36 / -7 )

"Lifting"?! Was there ever even a state of emergency in the first place? Here in Fukuoka life has continued as normal for as long as I can remember. Certainly no fewer people recently on public transport, in shops, in offices, on the street etc.; where is this mysterious "state of emergency" exactly?

14 ( +18 / -4 )

Under the state of emergency, people are urged to avoid going to crowded areas, while restaurants are asked to close by 8 p.m. and not serve alcohol. Attendance at large events such as concerts and sports games is limited to 5,000 or 50 percent of venue capacity, whichever number is smaller.

Given the Olympics, widespread flouting of the "urges" and demonstrably extremely low levels of testing compared to other nations, it seems that the so-called State of Emergency could have been done away with entirely and replaced with some elementary cautions and Japan would have arrived at roughly the same result. Minus the subsidies paid to eating and drinking establishments who would have suffered a drop in business anyway with the more cautious. The Japanese approach basically placed all the misery of the pandemic situation on the people with the fewest resources to handle it.

10 ( +12 / -2 )

Seems like a vote catcher if ever there was one

10 ( +11 / -1 )

They’ll end the SOE, people will start going out normally again, cases will rise and we’ll have another SOE.

I’ve seen this film before.

10 ( +19 / -9 )

The slow steady release of information.."discussing", now "leaning towards"...soon to be confirmed.

8 ( +12 / -4 )

But the article failed to mention that daily testing has been trending down too with a measly 28.000 tests conducted yesterday, that's nationwide not just Tokyo

8 ( +16 / -8 )

What State of Emergency? I haven’t noticed any changes. I’ve been working and going out as usual. Companies and schools have operated as they always have. In some countries, police have been checking on everyone to make sure they are following the rules. I haven’t noticed that in Japan.

8 ( +12 / -4 )

Let's welcome it with caution. We need to get going again...

6 ( +14 / -8 )

So many businesses destroyed. Olympic debt is huge. Property value plummeted.

What just happened?

I think you need to be careful now especially if you drive. The police will be out in force giving tickets to meet quotas to raise revenue.

6 ( +13 / -7 )

Less talk ..more lifting!!!!

5 ( +6 / -1 )

I think the population has already decided it is over.

Neither the education system (in Yokohama) nor my employer have decided it’s over. I hope the gov’t officially puts it to an end!

4 ( +5 / -1 )

The state of emergency exists in the minds of politicians and unelected policy makers who fantasize they can control sub-microscopic particles floating in the air.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

About time!

3 ( +18 / -15 )

If the rumor is is there that they are 'leaning' then I think we can consider it done. There I was predicting October 11th. @Thomas Goodtime: I assume your comment is in jest?

3 ( +10 / -7 )

Vaccination is probably responsible for the sharp decline while the SOE turns out to be almost futile. By data analysis, the human mobility rate in Tokyo as well as major cities has remained levelled-off or slightly increasing during the latest SOE (whose primary aim is to curb the mobility).

I suggest an incremental approach back to the normality. Be prepared for the next wave (by beefing up health care resources).

3 ( +9 / -6 )

Why waste money on testing now? It's too late in the Pandemic. Ramp the vaccination pace up even more.

3 ( +13 / -10 )

But hospitals continue to be strained by the large number of COVID-19 patients with severe symptoms, and there are concerns the just-ended three-day weekend may have triggered new outbreaks.

This is what could have been avoided with an actual lockdown, which could have been implemented with the measures police use to cordon off certain areas for visiting dignitaries etc. As well as the people dying of COVID turned away from hospitals.

The succession of SOEs accomplished nothing except transferring worker income to business owners while impoverishing many gig, contract and pt workers. A lockdown coupled with government relief to the public could have made Japan truly a world standout in pandemic response given the other factors of the population. The government chose to go the lazier cheaper easier route for themselves and their cronies, at the cost of too many lives and misery. A cold equation.

3 ( +8 / -5 )

Perfect, mind easing quarantine restrictions for those returning to Japan while you're at it?

Would be great news for when I travel.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

No matter what side I or anyone else is on, no matter what opinion I or anyone else has on this, we all know how it will turn out and what will inevitably follow.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Oh they're now "leaning towards" something eh? Love how they cycle through different synonyms for "can't make a concrete decision to save their life". At least they're trying to avoid repetition in their wording.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

@CrashTestDummy: Citizens and Legal Residents can't return without quarantine. vaxxed or otherwise - So , not yet! I'm 'guessing' next Spring at the VERY earliest for some tourists.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

But hospitals continue to be strained by the large number of COVID-19 patients with severe symptoms, and there are concerns the just-ended three-day weekend may have triggered new outbreaks.

Not according to my wife who works in a hospital.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

There is a state of emergency? Where?

2 ( +6 / -4 )

I'm a bit confused. The SOE is set to expire Sept. 30. Henceforth, it would be "lifted," according to the original schedule. What the govt seems to be doing is figuring out is whether to "extend" the measure into October.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

@Sven Asai: LOL.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Winters just around the corner…regardless of vaccines the infection rate will rise again and the hospitals under “severe strain” and emergency declarations will follow and so it will be year after year until people decide to live with it. No chance this government is going to build COVID hospitals to cope with rise in infections which will undoubtedly re-occur year after year. This one is here to stay just like flu. This vaccine is no magic bullet.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Rumors are, the viruses have marked it in their calendars too and will drive a sophisticated new strategy too. Voluntarily taking back activities for some time, then the more is opened carelessly , restrictions lifted, countermeasures forgotten, and then they come and strike back at once with full force. Only a rumor, of course lol

1 ( +3 / -2 )

A lock down until the end of the year? Are u serious? For 324 cases per day? You must b e independently wealthy.

0 ( +9 / -9 )

@Matej...If you haven't noticed, borders are opening worldwide. If you are vaccinated. Japan will of course be a little behind the curve but when they do, you can be assured that a vaccination will be mandatory to avoid Quarantine.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

The leaning tower of announcements !!

If you're thinking you can get back to living life as you used to know it then think again.

It's a whole new world now .

There's no going back.

Navigate forward with caution.

Prepare for the worst but hope for the best.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

@theResident

Yeah, I know that. Tourism businesses in Japan (and all over the world) have gotten hit really hard the last 18 months. Time for the world to start opening up things. Tourism is good for any economy. Tourists take nothing out of economies and only put into economies. They visit, spend money, take no jobs away, and receive no benefits.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Back in April I was reading a lot of negative comment about Japan'e vaccine roll out. 95% of the comment were praising the USA for how great their vaccine roll had been performing and how bad Japan's vaccine roll out performance.

I stated in reply to these uneducated assumption, I bet by the end of the year Japan would have more Japanese vaccinated than the USA. today is that day and it comes 3 months earlier. Today Japan first dose 67% fully 55%. USA today is 65% first dose 55% fully vaccinated.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

High time.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Bubonam Justin Kayce: The rest of the world have spent enough money doing that for the last 20 months - we don't need to waste more here.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

We are in a stretch where 6 of 9 days are weekends or holidays. Easy to blame if numbers go up, then extend SOE again.

even If it is lifted there will still be some kind of “alcohol” type restrictions.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

This reminds me of a scene from Spaceballs. (if I remember rightly): A long chain of officers repeating "Preparing to fire."

Dark Helmet: "Stop preparing to fire and just do it!"

Too much waffle coming from the government. Just end this SOE so everyone has a clear message that we can officially get back to normal. Lots of people have already taken their own initiative anyway.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Why do they need to do more testing - at this point they have a larger sample size than any tests would ever be able to approximate. Just parse the data we've got, it's all there.

-4 ( +7 / -11 )

What's the point? As soon as two people in Tokyo get the sniffles they'll overreact and restrict everything again. Did I mention that I'm leaving in 32 days?

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

@Yubaru

You claim that COVID-19 “cases are dropping because people are getting vaccinated.” Then, you assert that “the government has been for all intents and purposes useless!”

Who got you those vaccinations? It was the government!

(I know, they didn’t do it as fast some others. But that’s your argument, is it?)

-6 ( +13 / -19 )

When is Japan going to open up to foreigners traveling to Japan without quarantine? I'm ready to fly there.

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

(But that’s NOT your argument, is it?)

-7 ( +5 / -12 )

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