Abe says gov't will create ¥270 bil fund to fight virus spread; asks for public support

and where will this money get used? More Nippon Kaigi associated companies?

I have never seen a PM so disconnected from the realities.

Whatever happens I think this is gonna cost a lot of money. Perhaps it’s better to be spending in advance rather than waiting for the figures at the end. There’s one thing clear in all of this... it’s gonna affect every country and not one leader is free of criticism. I don’t care much for any of the political mudslinging that’s going on throughout this crisis.

For common folk Abe's message was...you are on your own. Good luck.

Abe thinks the solution to everything is to give money to businesses.

Even when he says the money is for the people, he gives it to businesses first.

This is the full range of his skills. Have meetings, consult with experts (presumably), and then... give money to businesses.

Oh, unless it's an issue close to an election, and then the solution to everything is to give money to farmers (via JA), and/or the elderly.

Have they started spraying disinfectant in the train stations yet? How about the roads with the most footfall in every city that has had a reported case? How often are buses and trains being disinfected?

The article only says they are going to spend money, but not one word of where or how

In contract to South Korea, the Japanese government is managing the propaganda around Covid-19 by simply not testing suspected cases. Do not fall for this and assume the cases are still negligibly low. If you live in Japan - city or countryside - assume you are at risk. Wash your hands, replace in-person meetings with video, and avoid mosh pits at heavy metal concerts.

With less than five months to go until the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, Japan has been ramping up efforts to curb infections and Abe reiterated that the country will continue to prepare for "safe" games for athletes and spectators.

Even if Japan manages to keep the new confirmed cases very low, it won't matter if the rest of the world does not. At current rate of new confirmed cases it is looking very doubtful that the Olympics will go on.

@Jay

It is not about solving poverty.

It is about giving relief to businesses by allowing the consumer to have extra purchasing power in a time of crisis.

Abe has been missing in action throughout this crisis. Where is the leadership? Now, this is too little too late. All he is concerned about is the Olympics. Public safety must be 1st even if cancelling the Olympics will make the public safe. It's unimaginable to have Olympic games without spectators in an empty stadiums. All we see in this crisis is incompetence by the j - gov.

This whole virus thing is well out of the LDPs experience, planning or mental capabilities. They are literally lost at sea looking for a safe port. Well that port wasn't so safe at all. They are more concerned about the Olympics and unknowledabe advise from bueacatics. Then announce school closures without following bueacatic advice saw how well that worked for PM Kahn.

The problem that scientists in Japan face is not lack of funds. It's that, to work on coronavirus DNA, you need approval from MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology). This approval can take months. You need to work on the DNA in order to make antibodies, develop vaccines and understand the route of infection. Very shortly, the government will begin handing out money to major research centers. But, without streamlining the research approval process, this money might just vaporize.

"As emergency steps, the government plans to give financial support to parents who need to take time off and look after their children due to the school closure, Abe said."

Oh, NO they won't! And if they do it'll be a one time, one shot of 10,000 yen or something, not a new job, which some will need to find if they try to take the time off.

And it doesn't matter anyway. Little Taro can (and only if forced to, otherwise he'll be at McDonald's) stay home and study after mom is fired for trying to take time off, but dad will just bring the virus home and incubate the house after riding the overly packed trains. Or is Abe DEMANDING that companies give parents time off with no penalties? No? Just more suggestions and requests for cooperation from the average Tanaka?

Not only are politicians in denial, lots of their citizens are in denial

He is giving the money to companies not the people. How does that help self employed?

The other day I rubbed part of the handrail with a wet tissue as I was taking the down escalator.

At the bottom I glanced at it and the color was black due to the ingrained dirt that had been lifted from the handrail.

I have done the same with airline seats and trays and the result was virtually the same.

Using any public facility exposes us to high levels of filth...

I don't know what you people want from Abe. Not a single person has manage to handle the virus situation perfectly anyway. Not korea,not china,italy, iran and not even USA. All other countries manage to do is implement the ban and hope for the best. So i don't get what any of you is complaining about. Even korea standard test kits needed 2hours to able to see results. We manage to decrease it from 6 hours to 30 minutes and now to 15minutes. And is still not good enough for most of you. I just read that California itself only has 200 test kits on hand and need days before they can be resupply.

Abe decide to support smaller companies with funds and that is also bad. He announce closing of school and that is also horrible. So i really don't know what you want from him. Unless you want him to personally go to the field and get infected just to satisfy your own desires to see him suffer.

And korea clinical trails didn't even happen and still need approval next month. Actually not a single clinical trail has started yet in the world. Both SARS in 2015 and MERS in 2015 still has no cure after so many years and the whole world still can't do anything against it. Don't expect Abe government to work a miracle.

Anything to try and save face before the Olympics are cancelled.

Everyone has at least one board game ボードゲーム somewhere at home. It should be fun to play with kids at home. May be shogi need to be introduced as part of national curriculum at school.

I predict novel virus will spread. The rate and fatality figure will be established by end of school break. Soon doctors will be able to tell you what precautions to make including air travel.

Spending time with family was better in my days but school ceremony will sadly be missed. During holidays, I used to play with neighbouring friends and in parks and had lots of fun.

In regard to Diamond Princess. I have missed a lot of it but please someone confirm a signal flag Lima called the Yellow Jack was flown at the harbour of Yokohama accordance to International Maritime Signal where they are at quarantine ?

I always like toilet jokes. Good to know world leaders shares good sense of humour like president from across the pond walking down AFO with bumbaclot (arsewipe).

Looking at pictures and infographic and reading some articles from other part of the world, 2 weeks or more school out will do lots of good everywhere if carers can take time off. I hope governments can somehow compensate the loss of income to people, including the self employed. For child who's carer cannot take time off, head masters with volunteer teachers and parents with community support should open schools.

Satellite images have shown a dramatic decline in pollution levels over China, which is "at least partly" due to an economic slowdown prompted by the coronavirus, US space agency Nasa says."

*SARS in 2002. Almost 2 decades and whole world promise back then they would pour all kind of resources to find a cure. Still nothing came from it. The world will never learn it seems.

@Hiro

Agreed. All of these people are pointing fingers and trying to make political gain off the virus, yet all over the world we see country after country failing to contain this virus. The truth of the matter is that this virus's long incubation period and high transmission rate make it unlike anything we've seen in recent decades.

Now the hoops and ladders for approval

cracaphat

If you saw his eyelids flickering nervously,possibly you could accept he does not have a real plan of action.

Now, I am anything BUT a fan of Abe's... but if a leader that is impacted significantly by COVID-19 isn't nervous, then they lack a nervous system. I'd honestly be more worried if he WASN'T apprehensive.

This is new. This is sudden. Of course there's an element of 'on-the-fly' in the governmental reaction to this. Just as there's an element of good folk within this particular community that will find fault, regardless.

Even korea standard test kits needed 2hours to able to see results. We manage to decrease it from 6 hours to 30 minutes and now to 15minutes.

What nonsense are you talking about the test time has been reduced from 6 hrs to 15mins yet the number of test is still less than one tenth that of S.Korea whose test takes 8 times longer. Japan is using a hook to fish while S.Korea is using a fishing net and expecting Japan would catch the same number of fishes like s.Korea is naivety to the highest degree.

Suga promised on Feb 12 that the mask shortage would be solved the following week, more than 2 weeks and counting the mask shortage is not solved, we don't know whether the 15.3 billion yen that was alloted to solve the mask problem has even been used, well maybe it was just a pledge with no obligation to be fulfilled.

Tokyo's supplementary budget for covid-19 is 40 billion yen Japan supplementary budget is 15.3 billion. What does this tell us that the government doesn't still grasp the severity of the situation.

Continue keeping your head buried deep in the sand.

He wants more money? We just gave him a 2% consumption tax increase!

If there are enough supplies ... why can't I buy a single sheet of toilet paper from anywhere ?

Abe is clearly not living in the Real World !

@drlucifer

Is different. Don’t believe everything Korea tell you too. They gave a number and you believe it? The only reason why they even manage to do anything is because the situation has gotten so worse that it’s been raise to the higest level ‘red’ and Moon had pour every reserve they had to save a city of 2.5million people. The mass infection has started long before they took action. Is about rules of law. Japan can only also pour all their people and reserve at it if the situation is as critical as Korea. Unless a region has been hit pretty hard like Korea and request aid from the mainland, usually the region itself is responsible for their own actions. The governor there decide how things goes.

Korea has a list of all the church members and they have been trying hard to shift the focus of the blame of the infection to them for weeks now. Most of the testing are now focus on these church members and those who are sick. I wouldn’t so easily believe they had really tested that many people when even USA and Italy struggle with the testing. Even if they did, they most likely tested those who already show symptoms and tell others they are fine.

And what makes you think Japan didn’t ask for Korea aid in trying to shorten the testing time? Korea has recently been trying to sell their test kits of 2 hours to the world. Is pretty obvious Japan manage to learn something and manage to finally shorten the time on ours test kits by using their as a example. So i am glad finally improvements are made.

Abe thinks the solution to everything is to give money to businesses.

Because, business are providing essential services such as cleaning, masks and medical equipment.

Have they started spraying disinfectant in the train stations yet?

Yes, they are cleaned everyday.

How about the roads with the most footfall in every city that has had a reported case?

They are cleaned everyday

How often are buses and trains being disinfected?

They are cleaned everyday .

All done by private companies.

Capitalism at its worst, pls tell us, tax paying citizens, what will U be using our hard earned money for ???.

Make a check list and get at approved by tax paying citizens, I do not hope to see ministers flying around , doing ...............................................................

HiroToday  12:28 pm JST

I don't know what you people want from Abe. 

Nothing that a mediocre, corrupt old hack whose only qualification for his position is his family pedigree is capable of providing.

@cracaphat,

Nobody knows what to do. No leader or expert.

Prime Minister Abe did a decisive action to fight covid-19. We highly appreciate and grateful for his actions. Japan residents must unify to eradicate covid-19 vice blaming each other.

Great, Shinzo opening the loot from the taxhike a bit and it will solve everything ? . Fake some more numbers, read the prerecorded answers from the script and it will go away. Late... far to late ! No more dinner with the favorite News/reporters. Get some real advice, bring some solutions. Not halfbaked maybe closed schools, maybe payments for working parents.

Seems the Gov. main and only concern is their sliding ratings, the olympics and which fundraiser dinner party to go next.

When is Abe going to give money directly to the poor that need it?

When?

@Kurisupisu. Giving money directly to poor people won't solve poverty, It will actually make it worst in the long run, just think of it deeply. It's about giving those people an opportunity to provide something for themselves, families and for the country. Abe should be creating programs or something to support them. If you give someone money they will just use you until you can't give anymore. But if you teach them how to make money or feed themselves or their families, then it will be much more different.

Well PM Abe. A great leader, leading his nation in times of crisis. Well done!

You can't fight the virus with biased beliefs, bad mouth, and false accusations. In that sense, Abe did right thing.