Koike says vaccines give hope for Olympics but worried about complaceny over virus

That's the sound of a dead horse being flogged. Just give up on the games already.

Japan's government has said it will secure enough vaccines to cover all citizens by next June.

Like I said already before, I dont expect any vaccine in Japan before summer.

Japanese people are very cooperative, but by now they are getting complacent about the situation after repeated similar requests

Not only in Japan, everywhere in the world people are getting tired and start to get unsatisfied.

Therefore, if the upcoming vaccine doesnt hold what it promises, it will be a big problem.

so what you're saying is: this could be "a ray of hope"....? roger! understood! now I can rest easy.....

She looks like a children’s TV presenter in that picture.

provide special allowances for medical workers for their contribution to the fight against the coronavirus.

That is very good!

I hope these special allowances includes a big amount of money and increase their salary.

Also increase their holidays!

@Monty - Not only in Japan, everywhere in the world people are getting tired and start to get unsatisfied.

Except in countries like Australia and New Zealand that have beaten the virus and life has pretty much returned to normal - without international travel, of course.

She is a children's presenter

complaceny over virus

complacency

And since the government has been inviting complacency for months by encouraging people to travel around, there should be no surprise.

Complacency is caused by repeated exposure to contradicting information, fear mongering coupled with inaction by those in power... Every where in the world... it's the same..

Ultimately, people need to get on with their lives

As host city, Tokyo will do “whatever it takes” to successfully achieve the games, which were postponed for a year until next July because of the pandemic, Koike said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Well, at least she is honest, "whatever it takes" means the games are the absolute priority, above the safety or health of the citizens or their economic recovery.

Should have asked about Tokyo’s low testing numbers. Also why June for the vaccine? Other countries like Britain, US, Canada already have it and are rolling it out now. Has Japan even approved it yet? I fear they will drag their feet because it is not made in Japan.

Even if vaccination is well on the way by next summer, I think many countries will be more concerned getting their economies back on track (Japan included).

Cancel the 2021 games, but if Tokyo bids for 2028, it will be in good standing as all the venues, stadiums and infrastructure are already in place.

“Japanese people are very cooperative, but by now they are getting complacent about the situation after repeated similar requests,” 

Unfortunately not everyone is well informed as they should.

The average person around here has no idea what this virus is about.

Cannot blame them for becoming complacent when the government was subsidising eating out and travelling, while the rest of the world was/is under strict measures to curb the virus.

Difficult one to create sense of urgency... after almost 12 months sending mixed messages!

Why’s that sign in English?

Complacency!!! Ha! The hypocrisy! How could anyone eat up this nonsense. I know this has been flogged to death, but how can she seriously accuse people of complacency when the government has been actively encouraging people to go out and eat and travel during a global pandemic. It's outrageous, regardless of how dangerous the virus may be. I hope the olympics IS cancelled just to spite these idiots.

All are skeptical about possibility of opening the games. What is the true reason the government and Koike stick to the games?

Japan is becoming the laughing stock of the world. In Russia, China, The USA and the Uk, vaccination has started, nearly all other European countries to follow within weeks.

only Japan is 6 months behind all the rest. That in itself is unforgivable to any government and can not be explained.

Then there is the Goto campaign, and doctors and hospitals in a country with 125 milj people saying they have only about 1500 Corona ICU beds for corona patients and not enough staff to even service those.

Koike and Suga only concerned about the Sept election and using the Tokyo citizens as pawns.

And still they have the guts to push the games. That is out of this world

In many respects Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko, will never move beyond the superficial nature of a TV personality.

The political points scoring over the need to engage with the government. Koike Yuriko doesn’t need to enjoy the experience.

What is essential for a duty of care, is that Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko must live up to the responsibly of office, instead of buck passing.

Koike said it is the central government’s responsibility to protect citizens’ health and safety, but there is a perception gap between it and the Tokyo government. “So, I do all I can to protect the health and lives of the residents in Tokyo,” she said.

Hold a press conference, then returning to the office, is not taking responsibility.

This behavior is synonymous with Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko brand of populism.

There is little in terms of substance, action. The reality is Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko in front of a camera, so to maintain Koike Yuriko personal media branding/profile.

Suga finally announced a decision to halt the GoTo tourism campaign nationwide from Dec. 28 to Jan. 11 during the holiday travel season.

Why no mention in this article that Tokyo locations will be excluded from Go To Travel starting beforehand on Dec 18?

Though for residents of Tokyo, you are still allowed to Go To anywhere still in the program at a discount between now and Dec 28... because, ya know, nobody in Tokyo has the virus and can't possibly spread it elsewhere.

Like everything over here, the message is muddled. Maybe if leaders stopped treating their constituents as imbeciles and lose the childish stuffy toy sidekicks and sloganism they may be able to find some legitimacy.

In the meantime the responsibility of trying to sort through the nonsense is ,as usual, squarely placed on the shoulders of the citizens. Yo Shoi!

I don't care how bad this pandemic is and how many people get sick or die. The Olympics MUST be held! It is THE priority.

BS statement. Japan will not be getting vaccines in June. They only “secure” the vaccine but zero plans for approval or distribution. Under the best case scenario the general public can get the vaccine Q4 2021 with 2022 much more likely.

"Koike says vaccines give hope for Olympics".

She doesn't lie. The vaccine is the hope, her party isn't.

New vaccines will be produced one after another and the latter ones will be better. I will not rush.

@blahblah222

not that I disagree or doubt that but what are your sources on that?

She is a children's presenter

Her green clothes is almost identical to the uniform the council staff wear when cleaning the public toilets in my area.

Shouldn’t there be a straw in her glass? Then she would actually have something to be grasping.

Vaccine will bring hope for the Games? Japan doesn’t even has a plan for rolling out the vaccine, how on earth can it have any bearing on the safety of the Games.

Not only a ray of hope, it’s a real big torch for the producers, shareholders, it’s appliers at the distribution points and so on, olympics also in that winner’s scheme included. But not anything more, the pandemic needs longer and other measures to defeat.

Now we know. She has both shares in the Olympics village apartments...and...vaccine procurement and distribution.

smart cookie.

**Koike:* "No closed spaces"*

Every woman (and a few "men") in the office at every office in Japan: "COOOOLLLLLLD...............Shall I close the window?"

**Koike:* "No crowded spaces"*

Employees with common sense: "Can we work from home? This work can be done without leaving our house."

Every office management worker in Japan: "NO. How would we know if you're working? Now get ready we have four 2 hour meetings coming up and an overtime drinking party after. But first let's talk about everything for 3 hours about absolutely nothing."

**Koike:* "No close conversation"*

Japanese males who no one wants to talk to, that come way too close to your face whether you like it or not: "Can you Japanese? I no English."

**Anyone else:** No.

Yes, hard to imagine just the vaccine would be enough in such so short a time, but there's hope now that vaccination started.

Good thing the hardest hit countries are also the prime developers of the vaccines and so were first in line for the initial supplies

Even without a mandatory lockdown, Japan survived earlier coronavirus surges better than the U.S. and most countries in Europe. It issued non-binding stay-home and non-essential business closure requests in April and May and still managed to slow the pace of infections.

The usual Nihon sugoi line. Japan doing what other countries couldn't even with a lockdown.

With conditions for getting a test or for being classified as having been in closed contact with an infected person being as difficult as picking a needle from a haystack, only God knows the amount of positive cases that flew under the radar uncounted.

So she changed her 5 ko's to 3 c's yet she still keeps the stupid placards...

How does Go to eat support the three C's?

I assume many countries will be more worried with having their economies back on track, even though vaccination is well on the way by next summer (Japan included). Not just a ray of hope, it's a real big torch for suppliers, lenders, appliers at sales points and so forth, like Olympics in the winner's scheme as well. But nothing more the pandemic takes more time and other steps to defeat it.

We need to look after ourselves and those around us.

The government's message has been consistent:

"You're on your own, but we want Olympics money, so we can't have you plebs screw it up for us."

The few half-baked measures served only as a performance to make people feel think something is being done. Depressingly many are falling for it.

"Complacency", thy name is government!

Good thing the hardest hit countries are also the prime developers of the vaccines and so were first in line for the initial supplies

the US and Britain have bought and have had millions of doses on standby for when approval was given. They spend billions of dollars on 2-3 companies who made the vaccine to mass produce their product. A gamble, but now approval has been given, the vaccine is enough for half the country.

Last time I saw her or PM in public was.............Abe being heckled. Not really popular people but still voted in?

Last time I saw her or PM in public was.............Abe being heckled. Not really popular people but still voted in?

Japan is run by nobles... ahem political families. No one need to be popular to become PM in Japan, he just need support of those powerful families. Japanese voters always support their local political families, so there will never be a change in leadership in Japan. Votes don't change in Japan, the political families move to different political parties, and that's the only change you can get. So all the LDP need to do is the keep those families happy and they'll hold on to power regardless of overall national popularity.

It is funny that she's telling people to avoid the 3 C's, when the Go-To-Eats program encourages people to do exactly that, eating in crowded indoor space with close conversations. The chances of Tokyo or Japan getting this under control by 2022 based on how this government putting siphoning money from taxpayers first via the Go-To program and Olympics is next to zero.

“Japanese people are very cooperative, but by now they are getting complacent about the situation after repeated similar requests,” Koike said. “I’m worried.” Yes I agree Japanese people are very cooperative, they aren't getting complacent they are tired of being locked down. The first thing the government should have did was cancelled the travel but they put the economy and generating money of the people especially with continuing to host the Olympics.

Koike forgot her sign to tell us what she's saying in the second pic.

Better to stop it.