Japan to fully lift state of emergency measures this week

Woohoo. I'm dusting off my dancing shoes.

Stay safe everyone, time to get the economy going again, in a safe manner!

In areas where the state of emergency is lifted, the government plans to allow approved restaurants to close at 9 p.m., while other establishments will still be requested to close at 8 p.m

This doesn't match the title of the article:

*Japan to fully lift state of emergency measures*

Japan to fully lift state of emergency measures this week

That's really make a different, isn't it?

In areas where the state of emergency is lifted, the government plans to allow approved restaurants to close at 9 p.m., while other establishments will still be requested to close at 8 p.m. The serving of alcohol will also be permitted.

There has been little logic to the so-called State of emergency from the beginning. Some places in Tokyo still were raging into the morning under the SOE, some foreigner-friendly businesses have been totally shut down for months, hole in the wall businesses that regularly have few customers and pay no rent in a family owned building are raking in subsidies. What constitutes "approved restaurants"? A rainbow sticker and hand sanitizer? Or more bureaucratic impenetrability to conceal the fact they are doing nothing?

Anyone going to raise the issue that these plastic dividers do more harm than good? Or is the show of action, even if counterproductive, more important?

Anyone going to raise the issue that these plastic dividers do more harm than good? 

How?

Olympics run and infections go up 20x, Olympics over rate drops by 20x. The super spreader event is over and things are returning to a manageable situation once again. How many additional COVID deaths did the Olympics cause, probably in the hundreds.

Yay! I hope these endless SoE extensions will finally end and things will start to be open as usual again. I'm really looking forward to little things, like seeing a movie in a theater, not calling restaurants before I go to see if they're open/what time last order is, getting regular haircuts, and in general being a little more at ease taking the trains and going out shopping. Of course, everyone please keep careful by wearing the masks and disinfecting hands, but I'm looking forward to a little less stress.

In areas where the state of emergency is lifted, the government plans to allow approved restaurants to close at 9 p.m., while other establishments will still be requested to close at 8 p.m. The serving of alcohol will also be permitted.

Wait a minute, the title says "Japan to fully lift state of emergency measures this week"

Click-bait! If restaurants and other eating and drinking establishments are still under some sort of restrictions, then the "emergency measures" will not be FULLY lifted!

In areas where the state of emergency is lifted, the government plans to allow approved restaurants to close at 9 p.m., while other establishments will still be requested to close at 8 p.m

Just nonsense - the vast majority of bars in the main entertainment areas are now fully open with many customers. Nobody cares what the government "allows" anymore.

@Yubaru

Wait a minute, the title says "Japan to fully lift state of emergency measures this week"

Click-bait! If restaurants and other eating and drinking establishments are still under some sort of restrictions, then the "emergency measures" will not be FULLY lifted!

Yes, as @Monty noted above.

Apparently they are fully lifting restrictions this week but will implement some restrictions next week =)

Just lift it all and be done with the half measure nonsense!!

Wow, an actual decision is being made?

No more flip flopping?

We shall see.

Watch the cases soar again for the sixth wave.

"We must continue to be highly cautious and need to ease restrictions gradually, including for dining," said Suga, who is soon stepping down as prime minister.

Sounds to me like some people are afraid of losing control and/or covid-related jobs...

@Zoroto: So many restaurants and bars are open serving Alcohol and open past 8. But if you are fairly new and just hang around the restaurants and bars in the corporate malls/buildings then yes, none serve alcohol and close at 8.

Just an example - the whole area behind Mark City in Shibuya never closed - everything open and buzzing.

Wtf Japan, just do it for god sake! Less of this half measured BS.

Japan has a fundamentally healthy herd with less than 4% being obese so there are far fewer unhealthy obese folks for the virus to attack, live in and to spread around disease than in countries with 30% or more of their herd being unhealthy.

In the meantime, the J-gov has been manipulating the testing process in this month to record lower infection numbers without displaying testing numbers to give the impression that everything is safe because of the LDP. Of course, it is a coincidence that person in charge of handling the pandemic is running for PM.

All while ending the SOE a week two before the election, so people won't be reminded of the LDP's failure during the public's waiting in line to vote.

Excellent news. Time to try for normality again. Although still possible that a rise in cases leads to a rise in hysteria again. Happened in Singapore.

Great. Preparing ourselves for the next wave while Taro and Tsuyoshi enjoy a beer in the evenings.

In the meantime, the J-gov has been manipulating the testing process in this month to record lower infection numbers without displaying testing numbers to give the impression that everything is safe because of the LDP.

Please share any links that you have to actually support your theories here. Or let me guess, you dont read Japanese?

Hopefully the trends continue, I would actually like to see an increasein testing numbers as they relax restrictions just to make sure there's no backsliding. If they do plan to open restrictions they should be extra careful that people going stir-crazy don't cause a relapse. Still, cautiously optimistic.

I barely remember what restaurants are like, it's been almost two years since the last time I have went to one. Probably still will not be able to go for a few months, but a little bit more hopeful that going somewhere that isn't my office might be in the cards within this year.

Amazing the drop in cases in Japan with just its gentle SOE whilst another country with maybe 1/5 the population in total very very restrictive lockdown in some parts has MORE cases than Japan and its two major cities more cases than Tokyo and Osaka combined! Time to relax the SOE in Japan and for investigation into how things are working in Japan. maybe that other country could learn something,

I hope to enter Japan soon.

@Zoroto: You literally have no idea what you are missing - don't be such a snob. Good Yakitori / Good Wine Bars - even a great Spanish place.

It's still too early. Knowing the Japanese mentality, once the restrictions are lifted, everyone will drop their guard and then you'll see the numbers of new infections go up, up, and up.

I'll will continue wearing mask, avoid crowded places, no afternoon teas, no drinking with colleagues, even now that I'm fully vaccinated.

In my experience, Japanese nursed

In my experience Japanese nurses and doctors are hospitable to foreigners but I'm not sure if it's Covid issues. Prevention is better than cure.

Anyone going to raise the issue that these plastic dividers do more harm than good? 

How?

There have been some limited studies showing any benefit they give in stopping particles directly is outweighed by their detrimental effect on being able to ventilate air quickly. You get dead zones where air is not circulated.

"...Anyone going to raise the issue that these plastic dividers do more harm than good? Or is the show of action, even if counterproductive, more important?..."

I don't know how long you have lived here, but the show of doing something is always more important than the result........ticky-box mentality reigns supreme.

@Zoroto........many of the bars and restaurants in and around Shimbashi station that I went to 2 weeks ago. Many of the bars around Ueno station that I went to last weekend........there are loads of bars and restaurants openly serving alcohol...and mostly have been. The shutdown of alcohol establishments was ridiculous and not based upon any science whatsoever

This is great news. Though I fully expect that the "number of cases" will fluctuate depending on the day (using Monday, when collection day Sunday is the day when half the health industry still close up shop in this country), week, month, etc...I'm glad that the deaths and seriously sick are kept to a bare minimum, while the vast majority of the population FORCE some normalcy back into our reality (in spite of jittery, Cover-Your-Own-Rear-First politicians who seem loathe to surrender back to The People all the enhanced powers they've gained through recent "Emergency" power grabs).

We used to be deathly afraid of the Influenza. Now? Not so much. Nobody gets thrown out of a cafe if they refuse to get a flu shot, and nobody has to carry around a flu-shot "passport" or even HAVE to wear a mask during flu season. You can have the sniffles and still buy and drink a beer. I don't recommend it, but you won't be crucified by the Virus Police for doing so. In short: You do what's good for you, I do the same...the flu still ain't going away, but we push on with our lives anyway!

Who would've thought that the Japanese government, of all governments, would apply the lightest restrictions worldwide throughout a global pandemic...and still see one of the best success stories of all. You simply can't compare our "Emergency" to the ridiculously draconian "Eternal Lockdowns" Down Under, for example. The lives and minds destroyed, and freedoms curtailed because of Lockdowns just don't get the hysterical write ups that COVID loses have...

Amazing the drop in cases in Japan with just its gentle SOE whilst another country with maybe 1/5 the population in total very very restrictive lockdown in some parts has MORE cases than Japan and its two major cities more cases than Tokyo and Osaka combined!

Im assuming your refering to Australia!?

lets see the actual stats on WHO website

Australia 97500 infections 3900 infections per million, 1230 deaths 49 deaths per million

Japan 1.7million infections, 13400 infections per million, 17500 deaths 137 deaths per million

GDP Growth 2020 Australia -2.4% Japan -4.6%

GDP growth for 2021 Australia Q1 2.1% Q2 9.6% Japan Q1 -1.3 Q 7.6%

So while Australia has done much better than Japan during the pandemic theyve also done better economically as well

it does appear based on the article here and other news sources that the word "fully" is inaccurate.

that demon alcohol will continue to be restricted in some manner, as one thing.

There are many nice izakaya and restaurants that have stayed fully open and serving alcohol throughout all this. It really makes you wonder.

Much harping about manipulation of numbers by 'government' - whoever or whatever that denotes. Numbers are reported by numerous entities and are not manipulated - they are rather easily totaled based on apparent fact. However effective the SOE, anecdotal chirpings are not reflecting any reality other than extremely limited personal observation. As for 'herd immunity' not even close.

Look for a sixth wave.

Anyone going to raise the issue that these plastic dividers do more harm than good? 

How?

There have been some limited studies showing any benefit they give in stopping particles directly is outweighed by their detrimental effect on being able to ventilate air quickly. You get dead zones where air is not circulated.

Thanks.

It's not established then, non issue

Huge mistake . Seems Suga is handicapping the new PM before they’re even elected . Anyone who believes these positive case numbers needs to get out from under their rock . There’s literally thousands of people around the country still waiting for an ICU bed . But “daijoubu” full speed ahead.

The Japanese government is set to fully lift the COVID-19 state of emergency.

They spelled "partially" wrong again.

@kaerimashita "Although still possible that a rise in cases leads to a rise in hysteria again. Happened in Singapore". And Thailand, and Vietnam, and Philippines, and California, and New Zealand, and New York, and...(voice trails off)

Here in Fukuoka we never had anything remotely approaching a "lock down", so life will continue as normal. What about other parts of Japan?