Japan plans to extend COVID-19 state of emergency beyond May 31

Extending a SOE won't really do anything...people are tired of "following the rules". If the gov't was honest and released truthful numbers maybe people would listen more and stay home. However when you downplay the situation and manipulate the numbers, conduct less testing people will think everything is fine.

The opinion I hear from my Japanese friends here in Tokyo is that they have no right to ask people to restrict their lives if they allow the Olympics too.

Look Tokyo, we’d be willing to go along with this if you weren’t in the same breath also pushing the Olympics.

You don’t get to have cake and eat it.

With some exceptions, the rest of the world is vaccinating, moving on, and opening up. The world is about to see how inept J-gov is. The world isn't fooled Japan.

No one is taking the government seriously when they declare a SOE extension but then in the next sentence say, "oh, by the way, the Olympics will definitely go on". People think that if it's safe to have the Olympics, it's safe for them to live their lives normally. The government needs to stop being weak and commit to a course of action and stick to it.

Ridiculous.

Enough is enough, the citizens have already spoken.

Do you mean the 83% of citizens that said they don't want the Olympics this summer?

The opinion I hear from my Japanese friends here in Tokyo is that they have no right to ask people to restrict their lives if they allow the Olympics too.

that's my opinion too.

Anyway, not only the Olympics, but implementing more work from home and closing the schools and getting students to study from home as well as online learning would go a long way to curb the spread. But restricting business hours and banning the sale of liquor are just knee jerk reactions that won't do anything at all.

“with just two months remaining before the Olympics.”

THE PEOPLE DONT WANT OR CARE ABOUT THE OLYMPICS!!!! FASCISTS!!!!

With some exceptions, the rest of the world is vaccinating, moving on, and opening up. The world is about to see how inept J-gov is. The world isn't fooled Japan.

Yep. For years Japan has got away with fooling the world. Not any more.

The best protection for the people is to cancel the rubbish olympics, start ramping up testing like never before, tracing and making those who test positive stay home for 2 weeks - and focus 100% on speeding up vaccination.

Ridiculous.

Enough is enough, the citizens have already spoken.

Your idea of "lets just allow people to carry on as normal, they are tired of these extra measures" has been tried in the US, UK, EU, Brazil etc. It results in MORE DEATHS. Show a tiny bit of patience, its actually not all about you.

Cancel the trainwreck Olympics NOW.

I've been saying this all along, there is ZERO point to declaring any type of emergency when the government keeps harping to the people that it's ok to hold the Olympics.

Cancel the Olympics and you WILL see a huge change in how the people react, and see cases of covid drop as well!

Until the government stops talking out of both sides of it arse, nothing is going to change!

Seriously, the trains and stations are still jammed packed everyday but not a mention of it only when there is a holiday and laser focus is then given to how busy are the train systems are and urging people not to use them. Hokkaido hosted a test sporting event recently and now seeing spiraling cases outstripping larger population centers. What in the hell? On TV shows 'comdiens' are in groups of 7 or 8 (+ 30 crew) having an outing together and now some of them now have covid. The numbers around testing and + cases is a complete joke ( e.g. Tokto 97,000 per day testing capacity but averaging 7,000 actually tested)

There is no 'State of Emergency' here, only 'State of Complete And Utter Incompetance-y'

Is it effective?

Japan Style, One step at the time towards Olympics Cancellation.

Surprise, surprise... Total nonsense to give an end date to the SoE in the first place when we all know it is going to be extended

Arbitrary dates for arbitrary SOE.

Extending the state of emergency will have absolutely no effect unless

A: Companies make the decision to understand that it defeats the entire purpose of an S0E to force staff to pack onto commuter trains twice a day so that they can be seen, and the middle managers can be seen to be performing the kabuki of “management” (i.e. having pointless, teeth-sucking meetings half the day). I’ve been given the choice of expose myself to packed trains twice a day or quit by my buffoon of a shatcho, and I know I’m not the only one;

B; Japan gets the idea of what other first-world countries realized a full year ago – track, trace and TEST. 6,000 tests a day in a city of 30M is an embarrassment.

C: VACCINATE!

Einstein wrote “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”.

Probably it was never translated into Japanese.

I saw an interview the other night where a well-known American virologist put it best..."the pandemic is not over, but the state of emergency is". Of course she was referring to the U.S. and not countries like Japan which seem to be regressing.

Another Nail in the Olympics Coffin.

Nightclubs, restaurants, going, going, gone out of business, night workers cut off from work.

No mention of assistance for destroying people's livelihoods,

no subsidies for utilities in the heat of Japan, with work cut.

Sod your Olympics, start taking care of the people who pay your salaries.

Useless and meaningless a complete waste of time, breath. Everything is open NOW, just no alcohol available. LOL

New SoE, just as toothless and ineffective as the last one. I feel like Japan's only real action during the pandemic has been declaring State of Emergencies that do absolutely nothing, and then wondering why that doesn't help the situation.

Just calling something a state of emergency doesn't make it one. Everyday I commute as normal on a packed train that is probably a figurative petri dish. Companies can't close without government support/enforcement of remote work policies. I go home and I see restaurants just as crowded (or moreso) as before the pandemic, even if I haven't set foot in one.

A SoE emergency declaration needs actual weight behind it. A good start would be canceling the Olympics

They're only doing this because the Olympics is near

Do politicians actually live in Tokyo? Take the morning train, it’s business as usual, emergency status is making no difference. Cancel the games, start carrying out one million vaccines per day-as promised. Where is the urgency to get everyone vaccinated?

Here in Sapporo, everything operates as usual as if there is no SoE. At the University, several lab groups let all of their members to come to the lab as usual. So, SoE has no effect after all.

But the ‘official numbers’ seem to have dropped to levels that existed before a SoE was enacted - so why would a SoE be needed? (Yeah, I know, Olympics).

The government’s actions all through this fiasco have never made any sense.

They seems to be making it up as they go, suddenly switching to different ‘numbers’ as cut offs to enact, lengthen, stop SoE, or closing times for izakayas etc.

The government also looked on at the rest of the world in crisis in the early days of COVID last year, and seemingly did nothing to prepare extra ventilators, beds, ICUs.

The whole situation is a complete flustercuck, and a damning indictment of a group of old men, and the odd woman, completely out of their depth.

Einstein wrote “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”.

Probably it was never translated into Japanese.

Oh I'm sure of that

Japan plans to extend COVID-19 state of emergency beyond May 31

One definition of insanity is trying the same action over and over again, expecting a different result.

But the Olympics are still on?

What the.....?!

“One definition of insanity is trying the same action over and over again, expecting a different result.”

Agreed.

Completely useless extension.

Shops, trains, streets, offices are packed, evidently nobody really cares.

The GOJ is completely out of touch with reality here. These body of men are incompetent to look after the quality care of this fine nation and citizens. This continuity happens when there is "no voting system" in place.

Extend it till the end of August? What is the difference?

GET THE VAX INTO ARMS!!!!!!!!!!

Even my students and other Japanese people I know are sick of the SOE.

EVERYONE in the world is sick of Covid. EVERYONE in the world wants life back to normal. But it has to be dealt with in a mature, effective way.

I'd seriously worry about how your students would cope in a natural disaster. "Oh, Im so sick of these earthquakes and aftershocks, lets just ignore the emergency measures."

They could do worse than channel Matt Damon, and start sciencing the shite out of this thing. The people are fed up with this fork tongued Gubmint’s potato diet ineptitude and wing and a prayer making it up as they go along. Even the bed occupancy stat, upon which they’re basing the decision about the SOE has almost no credibility. When the occupancy rate for Osaka’s unchanging 348 Covid dedicated beds is the linchpin for their estimation of how grave the situation is, we know we’re in shtook.

These guys are hilarious! What a bunch.

Ridiculous.

Enough is enough, the citizens have already spoken.

Suga and co are just going to keep extending the State of Emergency until the IOC hopefully buckle. Who do you think will fold first? My bet is on the IOC.

Just FYI - THIS is what happens in Melbourne Australia when there are just 5 recorded cases in the city ...

Australia news LIVE: Restrictions on public gatherings, masks reintroduced in Greater Melbourne as Victoria records fifth COVID-19 case

The Victorian government is reintroducing restrictions in the wake of the recent outbreak in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.

Acting Premier James Merlino says:

“Private gatherings in the home will be limited to five visitors per day, public gatherings will be limited to 30 people, and face masks will need to be worn indoors, unless an exemption applies and this mask requirement is for everyone,” he said.

In the central Osaka building I used to work in, there have been at least 8 recorded cases in the last few weeks.

Too early to call it off. It might have to be reinstated around the Olympics time. Better extend it so it can be cancelled at a more opportune time for the Olympics with no need to reinstate it till after the Olympics are over. The experts are busy working out these dates. Needing to reinstate it at the time of the Olympics must be avoided at any cost obviously. Expect new records for low testing.

So roll on June 300 and the virus is still out of control, going to be a lot of bowing and sumimasen on TV by Suga and the eejots

The thing that annoys me is that the delays in vaccinations are partly due to this idea that Japanese people are somehow unique, and that their DNA is completely different to other Asian people. It wasn’t enough that 2,000 out of the 44,000 people tested were Asian, it was also deemed necessary to conduct the same trials on 160 Japanese people thus delaying the rollout by months.

Don't notice any difference in SoE and out of SoE. Everywhere continue to be packed, companies that can do WFH have already done so, and companies that do not want to WFH will not consider WFH no matter how hard you push. SoE is not going to stop any nomikais or large gatherings in places with the nomikai culture. Some restaurants will always stay open regardless of those "urges to close", and these shops are making bank as all the people are funneled into less restaurants.

The black comedy continues....

ZorotoToday  07:34 am JST

I think COVID will officially be declared an endemic situation in the US and Europe by the end of the summer with all restrictions lifted. Japan has no hope for this any time soon.

Yes, the numbers started to drop in Japan again, but this will yo-yo back up once they lift the SOE and urge people to travel again. This will also means that no foreign tourists will be coming back to Japan any time soon.

100% agree which is why vaccination is the only ONLY solution.

Open my gym!!!

The problem is, that insisting in the games and people not anymore abiding are related and result in a spiral of increasing unawareness.

What is Japan or to be correct what is the Japanese Government playing at, for it appears they are not taking the COVID-19 pandemic seriously, for if they were they would have cancelled the forthcomingOlympic Games, to continue to stage them is completely irrational and shows a complete lack of judgement.

It is total irresponsibility to allow the Games to continue and could cause an event which allows the pandemic to proceed more quickly at a time when their vaccine programme is proceeding very slowly.

The games need to be cancelled without anyfurther delay.

Osaka on Monday confirmed 216 new daily coronavirus cases, down from 274 logged the previous day. Despite the decrease, the occupancy rate of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients in serious condition remained high at a little over 80 percent.

Hyogo reported 86 infections on Monday, the first time the number fell below 100 in a month and a half, though the seven-day rolling average stood at 183.4. The occupancy rate for hospital beds was also high at 77.4 percent.

The occupancy rate, how about giving the real numbers so that readers can make a good judgement of

the severity of the situation. It is pointless writing an article and obscuring instead of shining light on the issue and leaving the reader in doubt.

"Japan plans"---these words should be treated with caution, humor, and disdain.

Sad Suga and the silly billies, makes you wonder what is going on inside their heads.

Useless SoE., does it really make a difference? It is obvious that people don't care anymore. Apart from carrying their face nappy everywhere (which isn't even compulsory by law), nothing has changed, everyone is living their lives a usual.

They don’t dare try imposing on workers the same draconian stay at home conditions they’ve forced on college students. Even though the latter’s need for interaction with their fellows is arguably much greater and poses less of a risk because their classes and commutes are at different times and not in a narrow 通勤 window.

This is insane. The government is sacrificing Japan on the altar of Mt Olympus. Civil disobedience against the SoE is perfectly justified.

VERY wise decision..

“Even some bars in Shinsaibashi in Osaka are open again now and there might just be widespread civil disobedience in defiance of the government”

Here’s hoping. It’s the only way people can get their lives back

These half-baked SOEs do not work.

Pass legislation allowing for full lockdowns.

Enforce these lockdowns for two months.

Ramp up the vaccination drives in all wards (based on current levels this won’t be hard).

You’re welcome.

Japan plans to extend COVID-19 state of emergency beyond May 31

Japan emergency is not like the one you see in Europe or US.

I'd seriously worry about how your students would cope in a natural disaster. "Oh, Im so sick of these earthquakes and aftershocks, lets just ignore the emergency measures."

Are his students American?

SOE extension or not is inconsequential. Olympic will now be held regardless.

Einstein wrote “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”.

The SOE has decreased infections every time. So yeah, we shouldn't expect different results this time.