Tokyo Gov Yuriko Koike, 4th from left on the right side of the table, holds a conference to assess Tokyo's coronavirus situation on Thursday. Photo: KYODO
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Suga to designate Tokyo for stronger anti-virus steps as infections spike

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Love the jackets. You could probably buy one at Daiso, but I'm guessing they spent several tens of thousand yen apiece.

37 ( +38 / -1 )

Tokyo seeks stronger anti-virus steps under quasi-state of emergency

Then...

The measures could include bringing forward closing times for restaurants and bars to 8 p.m. from 9 p.m. in densely populated areas, people with knowledge of the matter said.

30 ( +30 / -0 )

The Central Gov will do everything in its power to not call this a full blown emergency, with the Olympics only 4 months away.

35 ( +36 / -1 )

How about getting the quasi-ministry of health to approve at least 2 more vaccines. Seriously, what are they waiting for? How many months has it been since Moderna and AstraZeneca applied??

27 ( +31 / -4 )

I've never seen any of these experts. last time they talked on tv they got all axed... it was by October.

24 ( +24 / -0 )

LagunaToday  04:16 pm JST

Love the jackets. You could probably buy one at Daiso, but I'm guessing they spent several tens of thousand yen apiece.

If Japan loves anything, it's a uniform. High cost, and probably sourced from a company owned by a relative of a city councillor.

36 ( +38 / -2 )

“Doing nothing hasn’t worked, so we are going to try more half measures.”

The J’gov’t doesn’t seem to understand how any of this works.

"Reducing the flow of people is key in preventing infections," she said.

Wrong madam, wrong. Vaccinating people is how we stop this.

22 ( +27 / -5 )

As long as they keep pushing the Olympics as their first priority nothing of what the government says holds any weight.

31 ( +36 / -5 )

Obviously EVERYTHING that has been done is NOT working! However, there is only a plan A, and never was a plan B. So pretty much the only thing we will see AGAIN is a "State Of Emergency" that gives people a false sense of Security!

12 ( +14 / -2 )

As Suga goes MIA and Koike cooks up a Quasi SOE fit for a Quasi Olympics, Japan's becoming batsheet quasi! Puleeze bring on the vaccine before the population starts on an irreversible stampede to herd immunity and shuts down Tokyo's whole kit and caboodle.

13 ( +17 / -4 )

Lots of conferences and colorful jackets and....more cases.

15 ( +17 / -2 )

Zoroto Today  04:25 pm JST

State of Emergency: Close bars at 8pm

Quasi State of Emergency: Close bars at 8pm

Stronger Measures: Close bars at 8pm

Medical Emergency: Close bars at 8pm

We have some real creative geniuses running this country....

Ha!

Yeah, likely the different naming scheme means companies can drag people back into office since it is not a State of Emergency I guess. Ostrich mentality everywhere.

14 ( +14 / -0 )

Regardless of the numbers it’s time to get rid of these clowns. They’ve had one year and have done absolutely nothing to improve the situation. If they were in the private sector they would have been fired long ago for incompetence.

20 ( +21 / -1 )

Masks on. O.k.

No plastic dividers between participants.

No distancing.

Two out of three 'aint bad. It's Quasi good.

20 ( +20 / -0 )

How about getting the quasi-ministry of health to approve at least 2 more vaccines. Seriously, what are they waiting for? How many months has it been since Moderna and AstraZeneca applied??

The real answer, neither have paid enough in bribe money. The "official" reason, still testing!

12 ( +12 / -0 )

Cut the lame names and start paying your citizens and others who pay taxes monthly stipends! If you spend all this money on the garbage olympics while putting out business for good, it says that the citizens are at the bottom of the barrel. Show for once in your narrow minds that you care for all the citizens and residents of Japan! It’s not hard! There’s a reason you Japan ranks at the bottom in vaccinations distributed because the government just wants money!

11 ( +11 / -0 )

Quasi-modo must be behind the government's Covid-19 reduction policies, or at least their naming policies!

8 ( +8 / -0 )

"Reducing the flow of people is key to preventing infections," she said.

Obviously! It is clear from the start.

However, deleterious actions which increased an uncontrolled flow of people (such as the "Go to travel campaign") combined with low tests were applied (and Go to travel was suspended after the damage was been done).

Whenever there is an increase in the rate of infection, they say "we will consider taking stronger measures" or something similar. However, the measurements are always the same and essentially limited to the evening closing time of restaurants (from morning to evening nothing effective is applied).

As long as the government's priority is to pass off the situation in Japan as "totally under control", instead of forcefully tackling the problem, nothing effective will be done (because stronger and more rigorous measures and higher number of tests risk breaking the “everything under control” facade prepared for the Olympics).

15 ( +15 / -0 )

Vaccinations ASAP are the strongest anti virus steps.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

A quasi-jacket!

7 ( +8 / -1 )

All together now!

Let’s do the Quasi-Mambo!

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Maybe it's time for Tokyo to bust out another slogan placard so people will take this quasi emergency seriously.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

‘Quasimodo’ comes from the name of the Sunday after Easter. I would laugh my head off if this ‘Quasi mo-do’ comes into force this Sunday.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Those certainly are some snazzy jackets. Everyone looking official. Photo op concluded

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I mean, you could point out the obvious -- like change it from a "quasi-state of Emergency" with its "quasi" measures, and start dealing with the virus like you should have from the start, but we're talking Japan, here; common sense has no place, and logic ran away ages ago.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Those jackets are similar to the ones the government donned after the big earthquake 10 years ago.

For show only.

The electorate seem to like it because they keep voting for the same morons.

The narrow-mindedness and propaganda gets a bit much at times.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Meanwhile whilst entering the quasi state of emergency Nikai, Secretary General of LDP, expresses his strong desire to reconvene the GoTo Travel campaign in a TV interview, as Japan enters a 4th wave recording 3451 cases yesterday.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

It’s time to change stickers and posters

9 ( +9 / -0 )

If a full SOE failed to stop the virus, how will a quasi SOE do any better?

Japan is going to be dithering around with mass-infections for years at this rate.

The olympics are only a few weeks away. The whole thing will turn into a shambles as soon as the first athlete contracts the virus from one of the complacent locals.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Ligger2Today  05:51 pm JST

Vaccinations ASAP are the strongest anti virus steps

Is that so? You are very sure of that...

0 ( +2 / -2 )

how about some vaccines

idiots

6 ( +6 / -0 )

The actual State of Emergency was only a quasi State of Emergency.

I can only imagine what ineffective nonsense this so-called quasi SoE will be.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

spinningplates

Masks on. O.k.

No plastic dividers between participants.

No distancing.

Two out of three 'aint bad. It's Quasi good.

Seriously though - these people are exactly the ones that should be SHOWING AN EXAMPLE for others.

When people watch this, they think that this is what is required, that this is enough - when it's far from it.

I can see 29 people in the picture, but presumably many more were in that space. No social distance whatsoever. Do they all really have to be there physically? They really can't do these things remotely, with just the biggest players, like Koike, present?

People will ignore the recommendations for small groups and social distances, when they see pics like these, and then think this is e.g. the distance required, e.g. in offices etc. "Koike is doing it, so it must be ok!"

8 ( +8 / -0 )

marcelitoToday  05:23 pm JST

You seriously can't make this stuff up...what a pathetic bunch of " quasi leaders" does this country have.

Enough of the Japan-bashing already! 

And what's the irony you're refering to in your tired and asinine: "you can't make this stuff up."? 

What ideal leaders would you have in mind for us, exactly?

-11 ( +1 / -12 )

There's one sure-fire Japanese solution to this pandemic, which I can't believe they haven't tried yet.

Mascots!!!

It's time to release Covi-chan and Corona-kun!

10 ( +10 / -0 )

Spitfire

Those jackets are similar to the ones the government donned after the big earthquake 10 years ago.

For show only.

The electorate seem to like it because they keep voting for the same morons.

More like, the common sense people, and the ones who are against LDP simply don't vote - at all.

I've heard over and over again from my Japanese friends, colleagues, acquaintances, etc. that since they don't like politics or politicians, they just don't vote. They don't want to waste their time on something they don't like, and the consensus seems to be that there are only bad options. The voter turnout is roughly only 50%.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

You know what I find interesting. First, the numbers are going up and notice how no one is calling the numbers bogus. Second, such much for the theory that Japan was hiding cases to protect the Olympics. Why would Japan tell the world that the numbers are going up 3 moths before the Games start and in the middle of The Olympic relay? The fact is that Japan was being truthful along.

When the numbers start going back down. Watch and see how everyone calls the numbers bogus.

-15 ( +1 / -16 )

Well, I'm sure the virus will understand and comply, waiting until after 9:00 p.m. to attack people in restaurants. And even then, just to be fair and to compromise, it'll only "quasi" come back.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Most people will thankfully quasi-ignore any measures.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Quasi moto maybe , or some other silly govt thing ?

But - "Reducing the flow of people is key in preventing infections," she said.

So why not just stop the olymsic games from goin ahead, isnt that alot of people moving around ?

4 ( +4 / -0 )

And yet schools and universities are conducting face-to-face classes...

6 ( +6 / -0 )

The key is to Vaccinate as many people as possible, the more gets the vaccine the lesser the chance of people getting infected. Today the U. S reported that every 1 out 4 has been vaccinated.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

fellow commentators, shall we all agree to just have a good daily laugh after the 19h00 news with all the “ new” comical measures of the day in this ever growing tragedie of clueless bureaucrats and elected politicians. I mean, we can now all safely give up on any real measures to ever be taken. And it saves us from further frustrations.

so everyone... hahaha

5 ( +5 / -0 )

And just think numbers increase and no mentioning of cancelling the Olympics

1 ( +1 / -0 )

imdo see any pandemic other than what NHK is screaming so I’m going to enjoy my golden week regardless of the magic 8pm theory

0 ( +2 / -2 )

How about ramping up testing numbers to those being reached in third-world countries? That might be a good place to start for 'stronger anti-virus steps'.

This country's leaders at all levels are beyond an embarrassment.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Total lock down very necessary.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

His headstrong & solid voice we can see it again . The decision making again under the panic, never stop it unruly .

This time like curses like inevitable .

But he can’t do that as well so far.

Despite that’s a foot in the door of ending up the virus infection more than this.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Cancel The Games.

Stop this Super Spreader Event.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Suga, do your stuff as usual shouting the high officials ?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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