Kishida says he is committed to containing virus amid Omicron surge

Nice, Kishida!

Open the border the horse has already bolted fool.

What’s he gonna do double check that the border is still closed?

The army? What for? Japan already spends a ridiculous amount of money on a military it never uses.

Sounds all so very good and nice, but in fact he has just too many impossible projects at once on his agenda. Distribution of wealth, containing the viruses, zero emissions… The probability of reaching all this is very low while the probability of reaching nothing of all that is just overwhelming.

Again with the fairytale of closed borders having reduced omicron to a minimum. Japan doesn’t test asymptomatic; the immense majority of omicron positives are asymptomatic; Japan nevertheless has 20,000+ cases per day, which likely means 200,000.

Nothing exceptional about Japan or Japanese my friends, aside from the childish belief in the borders fairytale and the foreigner ogres. Omicron is massively here, will go hopefully without major damage as long as hospital beds are available to those - much fewer than any other variant so far - who need them.

As if they'd listen to you, Kishida. You command no respect, and I think it's best for you and Japan to behave in a responsible manner.

And who listens to Winnie-the-Pooh and his commies?

Since absolutely nothing is different between November and now in terms of preparedness, closing the borders has had strictly no impact on the management of omicron, which is now here en masse.

This ultra conservative right wing nationalist PM is very good at pledging,asking,devoting and so on.

But in the end he isn’t doing anything for the welfare and human rights.

After all the voters choose the LDP and with Kishida they get what they deserve.

@William77

He's doing a great job so far.

@John Noun&Zia&Esteban

Keep death from Covid flow.

Increasingly distancing from American.

Keep economy up and running, maintain healthy relationship with China and Russia.

Forgot to mention, Kishida keeps Japan borders safe.

He's doing a great job so far.

In doing nothing.

Forgot to mention, Kishida keeps Japan borders safe

In spreading fear and xenophobia through the media and his regime.

@William77

He has done a lot actually, as I said in the above post.

In spreading fear and xenophobia through the media and his regime.

Expect to hear more of this as Japan increasingly distances from the West.

shakes head

is that picture actually of the PM who claims he will defeat omicron...in a room....physically...with the entire lower house of the Diet?

What, Zoom doesnt work anymore?

Kinda goes against the omicron gonna get you if you have a beer with a friend story.

He has done a lot actually, as I said in the above post

Oh sure,in bringing to Japan back to 1938.

Expect to hear more of this as Japan increasingly distances from the West.

How convenient,when you are threatened by China or North Korea you need the west but then you bash us.

Kishida is spreding xenophobia and racialize the Covid as a foreign desease.

But you’re too blinded by your nationalism to even comprehend such things.

Talking to you is futile.

As for raising wages, with productivity so low, why would a company pay their employees more when half of them are not needed?

@William77

Nowadays anyone who think Japan should have better relationship with her neighbors is accused of nationalism.

shakes head again

Kishida says he is committed to containing virus amid Omicron surge......by cheaply trying to blame it on his number 1 protectors.

Everyday I see lot of "JT-experts" comments and complaints in here. I don't think anyone can/has ability to stop virus infection in open environment specially with moving homo-sapiens around with diverse logic and creative brain. If it is difficult to understand; Border restriction will decrease the inflow of virus-carrier into the country. Vaccination will reduce the overflow of patients in hospitals. Mask will reduce the number of virus that enters into our system (similar to border control) Which will prevent infection as it takes certain amount of virus to start infection. Alcohol ban means less crowd and go home early you should be happy "unless". Remote/Tele working means less travel, less exposure. Its true that what politicians do is only talk-talk very "committed talk" but as a good citizen/human one should follow, read science article and do their own part.

@JT-Experts

and if you never leave your home and never come into contact with another human being or anything they have recently touched for the rest of your life, should be good to go!

All over a virus that can be survived at a 99% rate without vaccination if you dont already have 4 or more comorbidities.

Omicron is in the process of spreading to basically everybody in the world. There is nothing he or anyone can do to stop it even if he tried something more than just speaking empty words and trying to look tough by closing the borders. Bringing forward the boosters help a little but he has been promising this for months but still empty words as it simply has not happened even now when medical workers and aged are already approaching 6, 7 or 8 months since their last shot.

It will be interesting to see how even how China's zero Covid policy goes against Omicron, let alone Kishida's empty words. It may succeed there but at a greater cost of economic chaos, other medical deaths and even starvation as they lock everybody in their homes,

Anyhow luckily it is overwhelmingly not so severe or much different/ worse than the common cold for the majority of people. If people don't test they would never know which they had. Hopefully after the wave passes the world ( except for China) can then go into accepting it as endemic like the common cold, measles and various other diseases and regain some sense of normalcy

@In_Japan nope border regulations that might actually have a slowing down effect - and only that, whcih makes sense as long as some preventive measures are actually taken in the meantime- are only those that also stop the country’s own citizens from returning. Once that’s not possible, borders measures like those in effect only help pointing fingers at the foreigners who are the most tested population in Japan. In my repeated experience during these two years Japanese go home and run their usual life during the supposed quarantine (some despite being in my same airplane from a country that required me 3 days at the hotel quarantine) with legally no possible consequences (while many are required to go back to office or lose their jobs). Foreign residents in return have the clear and explicit threat of deportation (!!!) if ever caught outside with four negative tests.

More interested to know where my pay rise is?

Iron Lad: tell us what 3 box 3 line means. If you understand anything about Japan or ever been here how does it concern Kishida San Border policy. It is the easiest Japanese question of the day. I can hear you mum calling you for dinner again little fellow and wash your hands.

The latest evidence from the UK is that Omicron is only about 10% as virulent as Delta (though much more contagious). England's policy of only having very minimal restrictions over the Christmas and New Year policy was successful (in that hospitals were not overwhelmed and deaths did not rise noticeably) and now all restricrions will be lifted at the end of January. It seems likely England will be the first country to decide that we can now live with Covid just as we have always done with flu and the common cold. Good!

Thinking you can keep omicron from spreading is a pipe dream. Just look at China and the insane amount of measures they are enforcing, locking down millions of people, even welding their doors shut. And still, they cannot contain it.

Advance the booster shots for everyone, wear your mask and take care of yourself and the persons surrounding you. That’ll do.

Again Japanese drama time.

Does Kishida really have a clue about what the average Japanese person does everyday?

Yes, that is right!

They get onto crowded trains, so crowded in fact that personal identity becomes lost in the tangle of squashed bodies.

They get off and go into their crowded elevators and go into their crowded offices.

At the end of the day they all repeat the same pattern except in reverse.

The only difference this time is that a certain percentage will end up in bars and clubs and restaurants (steak restaurants?) take off their masks and imbibe and scoff whilst becoming decidedly more animated.

Masks are off and the ‘virus’ is in the air.

Kishida had better put on his cape and do something with full commitment and ….fast!

The government has already decided to shorten the interval between the second and third vaccine shots by one month to seven for those between 18 and 64 and to six for those over 64. 

Why 7 months and not as soon as necessary like other countries are doing?

No reason. Just that, we like it that way. No science. No nothing. Just deep teeth sucking and policy away.

"As a lawmaker elected from atomic-bombed Hiroshima, Kishida said he wants to create a new framework for dialogue among current and former political leaders from various countries and experts to realize a world free of nuclear weapons with its first meeting to be held in the western Japanese prefecture this year."

Yeah, and yet he won't sign a ban on them. Hmmm...

As for raising wages... haha. The only way he'll get that is if he lowers corporate taxes more, and promising subsidies and a lack of enforcement on overtime "laws" that cap it at 100 hours per month, and then they'll raise wages by about ¥4000 / year, while increasing costs exponentially. Spending will plummet, and he'll be asking "Why won't people cooperate and go out and spend?" within the year, and as predicted, nations like South Korea will be stronger than Japan before the decade is through.

Everyone I know is catching the Delta type in West Japan. . .

News about omikron sound like it's just the weak and not so evil omikron type left.

Time to close the restaurants at 8pm and limit the testing… it’s the only two strategies that work for Japan to bring the numbers down….then praise the fake data by saying Japan is doing well on the global level. Restaurant workers suffer without enough income through this stupidity of closing restaurants at 8!

No financial aid for the common people despite passing trillions of yen budget. Other countries have given three- five rounds of stimulus while Japan cried and cried just to give a mere ¥100,000 which lasted less than a few days for food and bills. 100,000¥ for children was pure discrimination against people who can’t have children due to medical reasons! Singles who contribute so much to society through long working hours and high taxes got nothing! People are suffering to make ends meet. The rich keep getting richer and the average to low earners getting poorer! Kashida had proudly claimed to close the wealth gap but in fact it has widen and keeps widening.

The people have caught on to his antics.

What a dumb title statement, what more do you expect Kashida to say "Kishida says he is committed to containing virus amid Omicron surge. Do you expect him to be non committal and do NOTHING?

The only way is to find the antidotes.

How about implementing a law that requires companies to let their employees work from home if possible, making students do RAT tests before going to school, providing a stimulus for everyone, not just those with kids, and improving the awful quarantine conditions for those arriving in the country? Kishida says he's committed to nipping the issue in the bud, but I've seen no changes or policies implemented. Trains are still packed to the brim; students are packed into poorly ventilated classrooms; people are out and about in droves with no thought to social distancing...Omicron may not be as serious a strain as Delta but that doesn't mean we should let go spreading about like an out of control wildfire.

P.S. - this quote made me laugh like a lunatic:

Japan should utilize technology...

Good one! Japan! Utilizing technology! Ha! Technology from the 1980s maybe.

Humanity cannot suppress or contain any virus. these surges is undeniable proof.

what we can do is promote better and healthier lifestyle; strengthen our medical infrastructure to accommodate all emergencies

My question concern the virus what does 3 box’s 3 lines means concerning the movement of people about Tokyo. This is very easy Japanese question to answer and no one knows because most have never been in Tokyo or Japan . Why the pretense.

Shinagawa - an area of Tokyo.

Bingo correct Peter yet no one else knew this simple question this sort out who actually know about Japan and it’s culture.

"....Measures that have not worked so far to keep Omicron at bay:

overly strict border control

almost universal mask usage

on again off again SOE

no alcohol in restaurants

remote schools

extremely high vaccination rate..."

Exactly! I can imagine what the cabinet meeting went like when deciding to re-implement the quasi-emergency measures.....

KISHIDA: We need to keep this silent enemy at bay. Strict border control, universal mask usage, pretend SOEs, alcohol bans, remote schools and high vaccination rates haven't worked......covid continues to spread!! Comrades!! Colleagues!! Does anyone have any great ideas how we can stop this dastardly disease??

KANEKO: Umm....how about everyone wears a mask?!

FURUKAWA: Yeah and errm lets shut down the border....keep that virus OUT

SUZUKI: If we make schools go online...that should do it

GOTO: Make those bars close early....that alcohol is the perfect breeding ground for covid

KISHIDA: The girls bars in Ginza and Shinjuku too??

GOTO: Errm...no.

KISHI: Let's vaccinate everyone........AGAIN!

KISHIDA: Excellent ideas lads.....get this out to the press....tell them we are thinking about enforcing our totally voluntary pretend State of Emergency measures....

"...Humanity cannot suppress or contain any virus. these surges is undeniable proof.

what we can do is promote better and healthier lifestyle; strengthen our medical infrastructure to accommodate all emergencies.."

cough smallpox *cough

Not on the mass media in Japan as it is bad for business.

A hospital in Kobe has had a breakout with several nurses and doctors catching Omicron.

2.A well known central supermarket in Kyoto has had seven staff all become infected despite the mask wearing that is being implemented.

The two examples above are from people in my family working in the two locations.

Omicron is all over the place and the measures in place have absolutely zero meaning.