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© KYODOGov't considering quasi-state of emergency in Tokyo during Olympics
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divinda
I predict the name "Quasi State of Emergency" will be a target for late night talk show hosts during the Olympics.
klutzman
It's all about semantics for this hapless government.
Eyeblack
The sounds of nobody caring anymore filled the air as this announcement was made.
dagon
The government is now planning to lift the emergency in most of the prefectures and to shift several of them to a quasi-emergency with smaller fines for noncompliance under which restaurants and bars will still be asked to shorten opening hours but may be allowed to serve alcohol.
The New Quasi State of Emergency (TM)! Now with smaller fines!
Japanese business is known for its "hard work" but I swear most of the government officials are a lazy, privileged bunch.
Ramzel
Quasi state of emergency is an oxymoron. It’s either an emergency or it’s not.
maybe call it a state of caution?
either way, no one really cares anymore.
jiji Xx
seems apposite, for the Quasi-Olympics
diobrando
Quasi? Bar etc will be authorized to extend at 8:05? This bunch of dinosaurs are just cowards to admit nothing will change...I am waiting the new wave and their fake apologies.
Yubaru
Doh...Face Palm....Double Face Palm!...
If it were ANY other event, it would have been cancelled, long ago! The Japanese government continues to show it's total disregard for the health and wellbeing of it's citizens!
Time for the people in "inaka" land to stop voting for the LDP reps!
Yotomaya
It doesn't matter how they word it or how harsh any restrictions. Just the idea that the plebs has to make concessions for a blatant cash grab by those in power is outrageous. Are we moving towards feudalism?
gaicuckojin
Emergency away, i will still be hanging outside the combini drinking in a partying in a large group.
jiji Xx
@Yotomaya
never left feudalism..... and not only Japan, just look at my 'home country', England... or indeed, the IOC the U.N., and many other nations/organizations.....only the nomenclature for the elite and the rulers has changed, my view.
Yotomaya
I think you've addressed one of the roots of the problem. We know they won't. LDP support has always been high in the countryside and I have a hunch many of its inhabitants couldn't care less about how the Olympics affect the indulgent elites in the big city.
Highlander in Tokyo
Nope. Just another bit of nonsense and lack of common sense.
Seawolf
So bars will be allowed to stay open but serve only low-alcohol drinks in limited quantity, so that customers only get quasi-drunk, and talk only in a quasi-loud voice!
shogun36
These governments officials are gonna be so bored once this horrendous thing is over.
They will have absolutely nothing to argue about or any work to pretend to be doing.
They'll just go back to their meetings of naps and teeth sucking after Obon is done.
Mike
Will I need to wear a quasi-mask? Will Quasimodo now be the Olympic mascot?
InspectorGadget
So they are going to relax the rules on a State of Emergency, which wouldn't even count as a State of Emergency in most functional countries.
Paul
New word to describe this government. As in QUASI-Prime Minister, QUASI-politicians, QUASI-parliament. I like it! it fits perfectly! And now that we are on the QUASI subject, QUASI-mask wearing, QUASI-driving, QUASI-smoking, I can go on for ever....
Tora
This is continuing to get more and more outrageous by the day. While I have seen some criticism in the foreign press, it needs ratcheting up already. What are you waiting for?
The foreigners are the only ones that can stop this now.
Yotomaya
@jiji Xx
I agree, and I think rising income inequality and crises like the pandemic are situations when it becomes too obvious.
ian
How? G7already g
Andy
Yet another 'Quasi SOE', you little ripper, that will fix it.
bo
The whole chabang gets dumber and dumber, the J Gov will be hailed as heroes for doing a splendid job of completing the games.
Testing will end, people will be silenced and illness will be renamed just to give them credit
Rocket Lees
Suga and Koike win the Olympics gold medal for synchronized incompetence.
Bjorn Tomention
If they were not so stupid we could call this govt quasi stupid, but we know that is a nonsense
Derek Grebe
THis quasi-state of emergency is a pack of nonsense is a pack of nonsense. I know for a fact that at least one dance club in Shibuya was open to 4am today, packed and badly-ventilated.
Goodlucktoyou
My partner is a doctor so I have access to doctors private chat rooms. There are zero Japanese doctors that support holding the Olympics. Zero.
GenHXZ
I keep harping on about it and will continue to! The complete lack of contact tracing and testing (seem to only test the seriously ill cases) means you have no idea how previlant it is in the population. Its unbelievable 'strategy' and unless there is truth to the Japanese having reslience to covid (and they would be the only ones in the world) Otherwise, there has to be mutation specific to Japan already existing and they are supressing the fact due to the olympics. Sounds odd-ball but when the cases suddenly rose the day after the Olypmpics was first postponed last year, it is completely plausible.
Gaijinjland
The prime minister will convene a task force? The Japanese are the worst at making decisions! No offense. My late father was a business man and he always said he would never do business with the Japanese again because they can never make a decision and, if they do, they will act all nice and come to a mutual agreement and then do a 180 once they leave and throw you under the bus. Sounds about right. They have now thrown Tokyo under the bus because of their indecisiveness.
Jim
State of emergency is a joke in Japan!
Yubaru
Maybe not in your chat rooms, but in reality, there are at least 500 or more that do, as they are singed up to "assist" in the Olympics.
AramaTaihenNoYouDidnt
"To quasi- or not to quasi-" that is the...pathetic.
therougou
Yet it has reduced the number of infections every time. So what is your definition of joke?
Do the hustle
All the SOEs have been ‘quasi’ with no power to enforce the restrictions.
Tim Sullivan
Tokyo 2020 will go down in history as the first Quasi-Olympics.
Thomas Tank
In other words, THIS group of people is free to do, but THAT group is not free to do.
サイモン
Well I guess they need an excuse to shower the IOC members and themselves with omotenashi in fancy restaurants & bars.
Laguna
Maybe they should put them on double secret suspension.
as_the_crow_flies
... accompanied by the soft crackle of manila paper slipping through greased palms, to the swish and ebb of saliva flowing backwards through dentures, as the Japanese government considered deeply (but with double Abenomasks taped over each ear to drown out any intrusive expert opinions).
Hideomi Kuze
Present Japan's government is also obsessed with wishful thinking as same as wartime Japan.
No matter what G7 nations announced, they cannot guarantee safe at Olympics.
Blacklabel
so go sit in a stadium with 20,000-30,000 other people.
But as soon as it is done, dont stop off at a bar or restaurant with 50 people! immediately return to the safety of your own home, using the same packed train as everyone else.
Thunderbird2
Idiots
OlympicSupport
So, basically nothing will be in effect but hopes and dreams and "requests". Perfect! I like it!
virusrex
And just by that all the supposed economic profit coming from the games gets erased by the cost of yet another pseudo-quasi-semi-SoE.
Jim
What country holds the biggest international sporting event under a quasi state of emergency ( if that’s even a thing…lol ) ! The Japanese people will face the consequences after the Olympic Games when the 4th wave hits. It will probably be a new strain called the Olympic strain ( not the Japanese strain as Japan doesn’t want a bad image )! This will be more infectious as well as deadly. The current lineup of vaccine won’t work against it! Then the Japanese authorities will come up with an excuse that some foreigners brought this strain from abroad…blame the foreigners as usual.
Jim
If you think so then you must be smoking something really strong! The reduction in infections has nothing to do with the SOE in Japan. Lots of other factors bring about these reductions including lower number of tests, weather conditions and people being more cautious. Bottom line is that SOE is a really serious thing that is being used so lightly in Japan ( close the restaurants at 8pm and that’s it ).
Pokus Hokus
wonder why the the state of emergency doesn’t have a mascot yet. They even have one for the polluted waters in fukushima
This is Pippo the quasi-state of emergency mascot. 我慢して!
Sheikh Yerboaby
I shall raise a quasi-beer in my quasi-bar that has quasi-cooperated with the quasi-state of emergency measures thought up by this far thinking quasi-government!
quasi-kampai!
Sheikh Yerboaby
Surely the name of the mascot is Quasi-modo??!!
therougou
The results speak. You have no proof it has anything to do with weather, definitely didn't in winter. People being more cautious why? Because of SOE! And yes closing restaurants early is the right thing to do. People don't do house parties here in Japan, they mostly gather in restaurants and izakayas. That is why it is effective at greatly reducing transmission. People are thinking too much in terms of their home country.
falseflagsteve
Therougou
Great post old boy! Very well put and it’s important to understand there are many reasons why Covid I requires a different response here. And the low deaths show the response has been a resounding success.