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Japan likely to extend COVID-19 state of emergency

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It's not effective at all though

20 ( +27 / -7 )

Hope they do free money again. Gotta love that money.

-10 ( +13 / -23 )

I wonder what "Go To@ Campaign will be next! Go To Travel failed, Go To eat failed, and Go To hospital failed! Go To Olympics may fail as well. However, Go To grave while dying at home seems to be quite popular.

27 ( +31 / -4 )

SOE is useless in Japan unless people stop living like everything is normal and the government grows a pair. It's business as usual where I live (an SOE prefecture) still with crowded malls, restaurants, and public transportation. The Japanese are completely ignorant of the virus from what I've been seeing.

22 ( +29 / -7 )

Hope they do free money again. Gotta love that money.

It’s not free. You’re paying it back with taxes.

20 ( +23 / -3 )

 growing number of people in the administration of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Japan's ruling party believe it will be necessary to extend the state of emergency for parts of the country continuing to see a high number of coronavirus cases,

Well with 12 days left before Prime Minister Suga's 1 month promise of getting Covid-19 under control it is not looking like he will be able to keep it. He better resign.

15 ( +17 / -2 )

Hope they do free money again. Gotta love that money

Do any of the first commenters even read the article or they just post random crap just to be first ? It says there won't be any 100k handouts anymore for the general public....

25 ( +25 / -0 )

Does it really have to? For 120 million people? Britain is in lockdown but still people are everywhere and the rate is declining somehow. However there are serious side effects on those vaccines. Also, Britain ask you to choose the vaccine. British or German vaccine? Both got side effects though. My relatives got it there recently.

Spring is nearby, it will half the rate, then this summer which i believe will sure end the virus even though last year it failed. So no need for state of emergency.

-19 ( +6 / -25 )

Unfortunately, the longest serving PM Abe missed critical time window to wipe the virus out.

4 ( +13 / -9 )

"It's not effective at all though"

EFFECTIVE.

-13 ( +4 / -17 )

What is State of Emergency, really? Everyday is just as it was back in November and before.

19 ( +20 / -1 )

I'm in the UK.

Check out Germany, France, Italy, Spain, US of A, etc.

Japan is doing quite well.

-15 ( +14 / -29 )

Shame on you. Cancel the Damned Olympics already. How many people will have to die because you don't want to be embarrassed that you fought to get the Olympics and then couldn't hold them?

13 ( +13 / -0 )

Spring is nearby, it will half the rate, then this summer which i believe will sure end the virus even though last year it failed

That sounds like an "a la Trump" miracle prediction. What makes you believe that all of a sudden the virus might cease to exists?

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Simian Lane said "I wonder what the odds of a new pandemic occurring even before we are out of this one. "

Excellent posting. Btw, how did you see my note ?

-14 ( +1 / -15 )

Is it just me or do other people see that the number of new cases has not changed since the introduction of the state of emergency? Perhaps it’s not working. Perhaps! (roll eyes)

3 ( +4 / -1 )

@zichi

Vaccination mass program is what is now needed.

I 100% agree!

Until then, stop this unnessasssry SOE, and let the people live their lives with their own best personal preventions.

Wear mask, keep social distance, wash hands, use sanitizers and choose restaurants which implements best preventions!

Vaccine is the only solution!

All other things doesnt help and has no effect! This is what most of the people learned and experienced within 1 year in the pandemic.

-6 ( +7 / -13 )

P. Smith said "That’s because China lied to the world about the virus until it was far too late."

When China close the whole city, there was zero case in Japan. How could be possibly lied by China ?

-18 ( +2 / -20 )

@Garthgoyle

What is State of Emergency, really?

State of Emergency allows prefectures to reward 60000 yen to restaurants that close by 8pm every day

3 ( +3 / -0 )

P. Smith said "China failed to reveal this virus to the world in a timely manner and continues to lie about it."

What did closing a city mean to you, Dear Smith ? Are you capable to decode the information ? What did China lie to you, Smith ?

-16 ( +4 / -20 )

An extension is a good move. Otherwise, Chinese tourists would be rushing into Japan during the Chinese lunar new year holidays starting on Feb 11, spreading a new dose of Covid-19 virus.

7 ( +10 / -3 )

Suga, meanwhile, admitted Japan's medical system has been ill-prepared to deal with the surge in COVID-19 patients, acknowledging that more lives may have been saved had proper treatment been available.

The system is still ill prepared-it works on a triage system where if lucky, you might be admitted to hospital and placed on a respirator, if space is available and there are not any patients worse off that yourself.

> Suga also said he is not planning a repeat of last year's distribution of a 100,000 yen stimulus to each of Japan's 126 million residents, saying the government is taking more targeted steps to keep businesses going and protect jobs.

In plain speak, you are on your own!

If the virus does not get you, then poverty certainly will!

On a personal note, I was hoping for another payout as it would have gone towards a plane ticket out of here in March...

6 ( +8 / -2 )

@Akie

As I believe you may be in a position to know this can you please explain why China locked down Wuhan in January 2020 but continued to allow and even encourage international travel out of China and including Wuhan until March 2020? Hundreds of thousands of potentially infected people travelled during that time which certainly allowed the virus to spread all over the world. There is an excellent article on this below.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/blogs/Whathappensif/how-china-locked-down-internally-for-covid-19-but-pushed-foreign-travel/

Was this China's selfish efforts to allow citizens to travel during the New Year, or to return home, or was the intention something else that we would not want to think about.

11 ( +13 / -2 )

There will not be any more direct stimulus payments so just suffer under austerity and do not worry tax payments will continue like clockwork.

> The supplementary budget is part of the government's latest stimulus worth 73.6 trillion yen, which will partly be financed by the initial budget for fiscal 2021 and private funds.

And financial institutions and select large corporations will be bailed out by the public if their bottom line is threatened.

Textbook neo-liberal disaster capitalism.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Tokyo-Engr said "why China locked down Wuhan in January 2020 but continued to allow and even encourage international travel out of China and including Wuhan until March 2020? Hundreds of thousands of potentially infected people travelled during that time which certainly allowed the virus to spread all over the world."

Where did you get your information ? You have to ask explanation from the one who fed you the false information. China has the type A virus, on the other hand, the other parts of the world including Japan has type B, get it ?

-21 ( +3 / -24 )

How about those juu man ‘en? Make it ni juu man while you’re at it.

-7 ( +1 / -8 )

They will have a meeting to consider if they should extend a SoE that is useless, unenforceable and ignored by everyone. What a waste of time and resources!

6 ( +7 / -1 )

It is hard to believe Suga can’t get even one thing right.

to support retail he should triple direct money payouts to 300.000 yen per person, twice a year.

he should cancel The Olympics immediately and extent the State of Emergency with one year.

He should get logistic and operational experts to lead the inoculation campaign

Stop wasteful spending on the major companies as it does not trickle down.

Draft in the 80 % private clinics and hospitals in the public system temporarily and oblige last year students to step in, with dentists and vets in the inoculation campaign.

more ?

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Suga, meanwhile, admitted Japan's medical system has been ill-prepared to deal with the surge in COVID-19 patients, acknowledging that more lives may have been saved had proper treatment been available.

There it is. At last the LDP admits it goofed off for too long with the “Go To” campaign and ended up hurting people. The LDP needs to go.

Its better late than never but tell that to the dead.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Additional Point to my post above:

What I recommend to the government is to force companies to implement home office.

The full packed offices and morning trains are the biggest problems in my opinion.

Enforcing home offices to companies would make the trains empty and would make the offices empty.

And that would prevent Clusters and spreading the virus in the trains and offices.

Everyday I go to work with the full packed Chuo Line and Yamanote Line via Shibuya to a full packed office with 300 co-workers.

Currently many are coughing and sneezing...is it Corona? Is it a flu? Is it whatever?

To give credit to my company they are doing very very good preventions, really very good, but...nobody is allowed to go to home office.

6 ( +10 / -4 )

The govt are total imbeciles. They had all this time to prepare medical needs. What did they do and instead? Prepare the Olympics. They should all resign but wouldn’t do any good because there are none who are competent. Even Trump who I despise is 10x better, he produced two vaccines. Where is Japan’s.? even India, Iran made one.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Extend the SoE, you say? Meanwhile, at my office in Osaka, people continue to wear masks below their nose or take them off entirely when entering from outside. It baffles me how selfish and ignorant these people are.

10 ( +11 / -1 )

Vaccination mass program is what is now needed.

Agree.

But here is something I was told by someone on the inside.

Japan has a strange way of looking at rolling out the vaccines.

Plan on just doing medical.

Then wait until nearly all the ordered stock of vaccine is delivered before rolling out to the public.

The thinking is that they do not want to be doing like UK, USA, EU and end up in confusion because of lack of supply as we are seeing.

So the thinking is by having everything they need in stock the rollout will go very quickly once it starts without interruptions.

Not sure I agree with this strategy but it sort of makes sense on paper.

Guess we will see.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

All the while the fat cats are buying up Hermes and Channel and other high end brands

The imbalance is sick, some people flashing out millions on a handbag, while others starve.

Remove the SOE and give everyone a chance

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

...and that means what? When I go out, other than people wearing masks, everything looks like life as usual - crowded trains, packed restaurants, no social distancing, etc

6 ( +7 / -1 )

What I recommend to the government is to force companies to implement home office.

I sort of agree, but then we have this tiny problem and tiny is the optimum word here.

This is Japan not the USA, Canada or even good part of Europe.

Most especially in the cities live in tiny houses or apartments ( sometimes I think expats forget that the Japanese don't live in the Ken corp places they do). I live in a small house my self, my wife, and 2 adult children that both graduated university and started jobs working from home. That is 4 people all working in tiny rooms home nearly 24/7 at first it wasn't bad but now closing in on one year it is not healthy ( though better than getting covid).

We are the lucky ones, we each have our own private space to work and have zoom meetings, etc...

Many of my Japanese friends don't have the luxury of a house, they live in apartments, those with children and a spouse that is also working from home are finding themselves working in the kitchen, possibly the living room coffee table, (usually LDK so same thing), if they have online meetings, they have to find a quiet private space like switching places with their spouse using what is usually a very small bedroom.

Our bedroom now is an office, we have about 30 cm between my wife's work desk and the wall so she has to sit right up close to the desk. Kitchen table not an option because she is on Zoom regularly and the rest of us have to use the LDK area to get to the toilet.

Sure my brother's, sister, and their kids back in North America have no problem their houses are big, their master bedrooms are bigger than my LDK here.

So we have a situation where we need people to work from home but in many cases the logistics are not really feasible.

If we could really be sure it will only be for a few months fine but then that was what my family's companies said and here we are nearly one year later still working right on top of eachother.

10 ( +11 / -1 )

All the while the fat cats are buying up Hermes and Channel and other high end brands

That may or may not be true but if you read the news lately you would know that those brands sales have plummeted, look at how many have closed in Ginza.

Remove the SOE and give everyone a chance

As an owner of a small retail business that has been closed to the public since early on in the pandemic, NO.

Extend the SOE and properly compensated those affected.

10 ( +11 / -1 )

Another photo observation - they are all sitting on individual movable chairs, and they still can't move them to maintain the same social distancing protocol they are espousing. The ones on the back row are crammed in shoulder to shoulder.

The hypocrisy / ignorance / incompetence continues to stagger on a daily basis.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

@ Antiquesaving

You could be right.

However, by the time Japan gets around to vaccinating its massive population,it will be next year!

6 ( +6 / -0 )

SOE? Yawn. OK, my usual watering holes are closed but my company still has everyone coming in and the trains are still packed. People tout how low the amount of infections and deaths there have been here but Japan has dodged a bullet so far. Had this pandemic hit here as hard as the States, they (we) would be up schitt creek without a paddle but the leaders still seem to want to go that route.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

@robert maes

Your ideas are exactly what needs to be put into practice!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

@Antiquesaving

Yes I agree with that.

Appartements here are too small.

I have a small appartement where me, my wife and son live together, but I guess for home office it should be fine. It is a 3LDK, but the rooms are very tiny.

But many of my coworkers are single and just live in a 1 LDK without a desk or table. (Just Futon and TV)

They feel more comfortable to work in the office than at home.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

but! but...

Suga promised us that the COVID-19 would be over within a month.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

@kurisupisu

As I wrote this is what I was told by someone high up involved in this.

I am not sure it is a good idea.

But as they put it much of the vaccine ordered by Japan is not the ultra cold one.

So using existing influenza vaccination structure would get most of the job done in a few months.

Japan vaccinates between 60 and 80 million people in a 2 month period each year for the flu with that as a starting point getting 127 million done in the same period isn't that much of a stretch.

This is apparently why Japan placed more on the vaccines not requiring ultra cold storage and more on the other 2 one only needing a regular freezer the other just refrigeration.

Again I have my doubts but I guess in some sense the logic is sort of there.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

They should just continue it indefinitely.

Probably the only difference it gives is allow them to compensate businesses right? Thats not bad

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I'm in the UK.

Check out Germany, France, Italy, Spain, US of A, etc.

Japan is doing quite well.

Japan is a very small country compared to the other countries you listed. Japan gets a big fat F for managing this pandemic.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

I have a small appartement where me, my wife and son live together, but I guess for home office it should be fine. It is a 3LDK, but the rooms are very tiny.

You are lucky despite being tiny rooms you have a spare one as an office most in Tokyo don't.

A 3ldk would usually mean parents and 2 children no spare room.

My wife and both my adult children work in their rooms.

Zoom meetings invade their private space, they need to set up virtual backgrounds or something else so the whole office doesn't see their private lives.

I have always worked from home I do manual work in my workshop but that is now a problem because every time someone has a zoom meeting I have to often stop working because of the noise.

This is not the best way to live.

I have friends that have actually gone out and at their own expense rented office space in those Weekly/monthly all included cubicle offices.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The capital has seen four-digit daily increases almost every day since entering January

Sloppy writing.

The numbers were showing daily increases, but certainly not four-digit increases.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Japan is a very small country compared to the other countries you listed. Japan gets a big fat F for managing this pandemic

I am not going to disagree the government does get the F but despite everything most people did far better than North America, and Europe.

Non of the silly protest and refusal to wear masks here.

As for the very small thing, yes and extremely densely populated with the vast majority relying on mass transportation.

The perfect situation for viruses to spread and rapidly.

So all and all Japan has done far better.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

robert maesToday  08:22 am JST

It is hard to believe Suga can’t get even one thing right.

to support retail he should triple direct money payouts to 300.000 yen per person, twice a year.

he should cancel The Olympics immediately and extent the State of Emergency with one year.

He should get logistic and operational experts to lead the inoculation campaign

Stop wasteful spending on the major companies as it does not trickle down.

Draft in the 80 % private clinics and hospitals in the public system temporarily and oblige last year students to step in, with dentists and vets in the inoculation campaign.

With the exception of 300,000 per person, I think it's a good start. At least you have suggestions unlike most in other forums as well as some in this forum. Some posts are educational, some humorous but often than not, most are disgusting.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Sloppy writing.

The numbers were showing daily increases, but certainly not four-digit increases.

I thought the same when I first read it, but it's correct.

They are referring to the overall number of cases increasing by 1,000+ per day - which is what was happening.

It doesn't mean the daily positive rate was increasing by 1,000+ per day.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

If anyone believes in the meaning of lockdowns, curfews and state of emergencies, I think it is fair to say that these people are misinformed, don't follow the science. Just be like Sweden and all will be fine.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Suga also said he is not planning a repeat of last year's distribution of a 100,000 yen stimulus to each of Japan's 126 million residents, saying the government is taking more targeted steps to keep businesses going and protect jobs.

Really?! What? Where? Can anyone point out where I can get hold of this, or any information on this?

(Side note: I'm not a restaurant)

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Oh, it already started?

Could have fooled me.

Let me know when it actually changes the environment around here.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Not sure lockdowns have a positive impact on the virus. In the U.S. some states locked down this winter and some did not and all seem to have generally the same up and down trends. I think the virus simply needs to run its course.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Total BS.

That's it. Bury those already in a hole with more useless SOE nonsense that won't change a goddamn thing.

Why refer to experts? Of course they're going to recommend the SOE to be extended. They'd recommend it till the end of time if they could.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Its USELESS until done simultaneously in all prefectures. Also, instead of extending emergency just shutdown everything (*exceptions food/medicine) for 3 weeks. Will save lot of meetings, money and embarrassments.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

While the SOE is extended, we should be happy to know that Taro can sleep peacefully while being at work, as shown in the photo, knowing that his salary is being taken care of by those struggling to make ends meet, both Japanese and non-japanese. Sweet dreams Taro-kun.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

"Asked by opposition lawmaker Kiyomi Tsujimoto in the meeting of the House of Representatives' Budget Committee whether he felt responsible for COVID-19 patients that died at home after being turned away from hospitals, Suga said "As the one in charge, I feel terribly sorry.""

That's called in my country unvoluntary manslaughter, and politicians would be prosecuted for those crimes.

When something could have been done to save a life while means were at disposal or known, it is a crime.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

But be sure to keep the hostess clubs open for government officials.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Keep up the good work. The cases haven't been increasing, the hospitals are coping, people can choose to have a normal life without being locked up as in some countries.

Japan can afford to open up a bit more to help the struggling small businesses, and also a bit slow in rolling out the vaccines.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

I can’t eat diner before 8pm.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

It’s been over a year.

As we try to find ways to fight this thing we need to do what we have to to stay alive.

That sounds more like doomsday or a zombie apocalypse happened but it’s the same thought pattern.

Why don’t people get it? I’d rather we get through and start complaining how much we over reacted than complaining about the lives that might have been saved if more was done. The point of tacking precautions is so it doesn’t happen so guess what it doesn’t.

If Japanese laws keep government from strict lockdowns then change them!

its been a year and also Japan hasn’t been so bad compared to other countries but we aren’t out of the woods yet...

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Extension? Just how long are LDP politicians supposed to wait until they can go back to hostess clubs with ease?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Should read the government is planning to continue gutting the service industry to solely calm the fears of its biggest voting group.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

How is Japan's hospital system strained with 100 COVID deaths per day? Recently, the U.S. has had 4,000 deaths per day, with no sign of strain. Are there that few hospital beds in Japan? Japan has 126 million people. U.S. has about 330 million people.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

@HappyDay Strange question...no hospital system is strained with Covid deaths of any numbers. Coroners and undertakers are in such a case. The system is strained with testing of symptomatic people ,normal treatment or intensive care for severe cases and additionally managing all other separated treatment of corona or non-corona patients. That sum altogether is much higher than 100.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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