Tests show 11 people who died last month were infected with coronavirus: media

I wondered if the they tested the corpses of more people who died this year, the coronavirus related deaths would be higher.

Recently, with quasi lockdown in place, I have been periodically reaching out to friends and neighbors in Japan because this silent killer can hit quickly without warning for some. It is very easy to be isolated in Japan even without a lockdown in effect.

@Educator60

It would be nice if this stops all the irrelevant posts about “Japan not doing enough autopsies so COVID-19 deaths are being covered up.” Not to mention an autopsy isn’t even necessary. (If you don’t believe that, you can learn something from the US CDC guidelines.

As far as I've understood, Japan conducts a minimal amount of autopsies. You need the permission of the relatives for them, and it's apparently rarely given. I wonder if it's still the same for "suspicious pneumonia deaths" - no permission from relatives, no autopsy.

And we won't be able to compare the statistics on deaths marked off by pneumonia until a couple of years later - they're made available only every three years.

One was found dying in the street. Shameful.

I wondered if the they tested the corpses of more people who died this year, the coronavirus related deaths would be higher.

They have not the living with symptoms how do you expect the death to be tested.

This is nothing more than propaganda from Abe trying to legitimize the death count. Last week, a medical expert in Japan said that the number of influenza deaths for the 2019/20 season is unusually very high compared to previous seasons, despite record low case numbers for influenza infections this year. He strongly believes those 'excess deaths' were from corona, but because they WERE NOT TESTED for the virus, their official cause of death is from influenza. Not what you expect from a supposedly first world country.

The government has said it follows World Health Organization guidelines for virus testing, with all suspicious pneumonia deaths tested for the respiratory disease caused by the virus.

Oh dear, it's funny how the government says they are following WHO's guidelines with respect to such cases, but when WHO says to "test, test, test", they go the other way and do minimal testing. Another fine example of pick and choose to support one's narratives.

How about testing more ‘alive’ people instead of dead bodies?

Think there are a few zeros missing.......

Anybody who believes Japan's official statistics hasn't been here long and/or is really naive. That goes for all official numbers, not just coronavirus related.

@ Educator60

The article doesn't void the argument of part of the death from covid-19 can go unnoticed.

Out of all the death, police conducted autopsie on the one deemed unatural (like too young toi die). On them the ones dying from pneumonia were tested. The article state that the government tests suspicious pneumonia but not clear in among the police corpus of unnatural deaths with pneumonia where all tested or only the suspicious one.

And most of the time the explanation about unnoticed fatalities come as reply of people seeming disappointed that mortuary service in Japan could substain 1%, 5% daily increase and, untill some degree, death increase could go unoticed.

“The government has said it follows World Health Organization guidelines for virus testing, with all suspicious pneumonia deaths tested for the respiratory disease caused by the virus.”

@Educator60

The State of Emergency in Japan was called a week ago. The problem for Japan started in January of this year. Honestly, it could have started in Nov. or Dec. of 2019. Until the Olympics were cancelled, there were no problems. That is a total of almost 5 months.

So, the question is when they started following the WHO guidelines for virus testing? Not if they are following the WHO guidelines for testing?

You have failed to show evidence of that!

Contacted by Reuters, the National Police Agency said it could not confirm the facts before receiving questions by fax.

lol. I couldn’t stop laughing.

And the police won't answer questions until they come by fax, hold three meetings, and get five hankos.

In some countries like Italy. hospitals report higher number of coronavirus death on purpose for higher medical revenue.  It seems Japan joined the club.

11, that's not bad compared to hundreds of thousands each in the US and Europe where people are buried in mass pits like dogs. In the most disease ridden countries in Europe the number of deaths over the annual mean not attributed to the virus are far, far higher than normal, meaning probably in a year or two we will see that the number of deaths are double or triple higher than what we've been told by these incompetent governments.

National Police Agency said it could not confirm the facts before receiving questions by fax

Only in Japan does the National Police Agency still use faxes!

Tom Doley: "Last week, a medical expert in Japan said that the number of influenza deaths for the 2019/20 season is unusually very high compared to previous seasons, despite record low case numbers for influenza infections this year. He strongly believes those 'excess deaths' were from corona, but because they WERE NOT TESTED for the virus, their official cause of death is from influenza."

No doubt, and likely the bodies were cremated immediately, too, so it's not like they can go back and check.

It would be nice if this stops all the irrelevant posts about “Japan not doing enough autopsies so COVID-19 deaths are being covered up.”

This news only proves that there were people who died without getting tested. We needed the police to intervene and investigate to come up with these 11 cases. Do you think this is all? The key phrase is "suspicious pneumonia". Who decides what's suspicious?

Add to that reports about people having difficulty finding hospitals and doctors "still" refusing to authorize tests.

@Wellington

Unbelievable.

Always good to refer to victims of a mass tragedy as 'dogs'.

Temporary 'mass' burial is standard procedure in disaster management.

1 out of every 1000 New Yorkers have died in the last 2 months. You might not like it but temporary burial is the best case scenario in these cases. Most places on earth would have bodies decaying at home or in the streets in the same situation.

If the Tokyo met has the same death rate there will be 45,000 bodies requiring cremation on top of the regular death rate. Do you think Tokyo's, what, 10 crematoriums could handle that? Probably not possible, right? Japan is immune to disaster, right?

What a terrible way to die, and so many of them alone. It's so sad.

Dying with coronavirus does not equate to dying because of coronavirus.

Science has established a clear distinction between the two.

Burning Bush - I think we all understand this. I could catch coronavirus and then be run over by a bus. However, it is very clear that must people who die and have coronavirus die because of coronavirus.

There are some who try to downplay the risks of coronavirus, but scientists have not worked out the reason for this yet.

@savethegaijin: Not once did I refer to virus victims as "dogs", in fact you said that, likely a poor attempt trying to mislead and confuse deliberately. Very poor form and unbelievable.

I pointed out that the uncountable and shocking numbers of the dead in these disease ridden countries are being buried there like dogs (read: the action of burial, not the victims).

Regarding what Tokyo would do if crematoria were overwhelmed with the dead, I wouldn't be able to tell you neither would you as we're both not qualified on topics like this. Leave it to the experts and grown ups. All we can look at is Europe and America where their performance and incompetence has been a historic disgrace and will not ever be forgotten.

News outlets should really cease with the scary illustrations of Covid-19. It provides nothing useful to the general public except trying to frighten them.

In 2018, Japan's third highest cause of death was "old age." (http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201907150040.html) I don't know any other countries that use that category.

If old people in Japan die before getting tested, maybe those deaths are being categorized as "old age." Not saying it's happening, but could be a way to keep the official coronavirus death rate down.

@Wellington

Being buried in a temporary burial isn't being buried like a dog ffs... which is what you said.

Japan hasn't done anything at all except hand out shoddy masks and politely request people to maybepossiblyiftheycan stay home. If they make it out of this with a low death count, it's purely out of luck.

Europe isn't disease ridden any more than Asia or North America. Ridiculous to say, especially considering that the virus originated in Asia. Wouldn't that make Asia disease ridden by definition? But of course you wouldn't say that, would you... can't imagine why.

@savethegaijin: TF you on about. Yeah yeah Japan hasn't done anything but even then the ineptitude is not on any similar magnitude as the Europeans and Yanks. Maybe lucky if Japan escapes with a mild outbreak, but the facts are Europe and America gave themselves a giant outbreak through incompetence. Thinking they did a good job is silliness matching their level of incompetence and should require a brain check.

But of course you wouldn't say that, would you... can't imagine why.

No idea what on Earth you're on about mate. That's a big yikes! Good day

What a shameful incident !

Yesterday BBC ranked Japan as No.2 of the healthiest countries in 2019, however, Japan may move down to No. 4 or 5 in the 2020 ranking.

These 11 were only the ones which police deemed suspicious. Many more were not deemed suspicious - elderly, those known to have prior stroke or heart attack, or a cancer patient, etc. IIRC, only 10% or so of died at home deaths are deemed suspicious.

Sad to hear that many tested after death were actually exposed and may have helped the spread. It not only adds to the statistics, but also opens to the possible transmission from those that were undetected.

But more interesting still is the fact that they could identify possible virus death cases by what is defined as "unnatural", which seem to indicate that these corona-virus deaths have an identifiable physical indicator besides the actual corona-virus specific test. It will be very important to use such data to determine the virility of the virus and identify by the physical parts if the body besides the lungs which it is known to affect.

One was found dying in the street. Shameful.

My thoughts exactly, What self-respecting person would die in the street?

What is the world coming to?

gary

@Wellington

Not sure how you could make that comparison?

I live in Tokyo, all I have to do is look out of my window and you see families walking to the park, children playing in the street. Almost all restaurants here are open... Back home in the States my friends and family have been under a shelter-in-place warning for weeks. In my home city, the streets are empty - actually empty. I guess I'd ask what you're on about.

@savethegaijin: Weird, my friends in America say that everyone is out and about without a care in the world and that there are even gun-toting protesters screaming and threatening to be allowed to get back to work. Whereas my friends in Japan all say the streets are deserted and most shops are closed. It's so weird how peoples' random anecdotes based on no evidence conflict with other peoples' random anecdotes and only serve to fit the point they are trying to make!

I guess we have to solve this impasse by looking at the pure cold data. 10k+ cases in Japan over 3 months compared to 800k+ in America in the space of one month. Oh dear..

Here in NZ and also Aus pretty much all restaurants are open but only do take out or delivery. So I guess that makes NZ and Aus as bad as the Japan from your anecdotal story by your logic. That's an even bigger yikes!

Anyway, we're all suffering here and there will be a reckoning once this all dies down, that much is guaranteed. I'm off now, take care.

@Wellington

There's a million reasons why countries in the southern hemisphere are fairing better that would be too exhausting to list here. I'm sure you know as well as I do that viral contagion is infinitely worse during winter/spring. NZ has an extremely small population as well. All things that I'm sure you know.

As far as anecdotal evidence... it's literally outside of my window. I can see people with my own eyes. Sure there are fewer people than usual but unless you know how busy it is regularly, you wouldn't know it. And no, almost nobody is social distancing. Please tell me where your 'friends' in Japan live where everything is closed and people are staying at home or 2 meters away from one another, seems like the place to be now. Certainly none of the cities by how you're talking.

Oh and I side note, I wouldn't defend the orange idiot in charge or the right wing morons trying to get us all killed by reopening the country. They're a tiny minority, though, obviously. Hopefully they're the only ones who reap what they sow.

I believe this about as much as I believe the moon is made of cheese.

Here is why: The government has said it follows World Health Organization guidelines for virus testing.

So they follow the standards of the CCP's and Xi the Pooh's lap dog. No thank you, don't buy it at all.

Professor Ikegaya, Chairman of Department of Forensic Medicine of the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine wrote in the respected journal Nature: "Autopsies in Japan are performed on only 1.6% of all deaths, the lowest rate among developed countries. Cause of death is almost always determined by simple visual inspection, as it was 100 years ago."

https://www.nature.com/articles/507306e

@savethegaijin

Yes, "New Zealand has an extremely small population", however it has dedicated itself to going hard and going early against Covid-19, thanks to the lead of her women Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern.

This might be why New Zealand is the only Western country that has a chance to ERADICATE Covid-19, instead of just containing and managing it, until a vaccine is developed.

If the current 'Lockdown' succeeds, then stringent social distancing measures can be eased.

Life can return to something approaching normal, even with boarders closed, or entry into the country severely curtailed.

It is a team of 5 million people.

.

Japan., like a lot of nations, is simply lying about the numbers of infected and dead related to CoVid.

South Korea had mass testing early on - that's how they're getting through this in good shape

Japan had more weeks to prepare than other countries - what's their excuse for not having mass testing ready given with more time to prepare

Ya can't bury your head in the sand thru this issue