With the negative impact on Japan's economy and its reputation growing daily, it is time for Japan to gradually start easing travel restrictions and allow business travel and tourism to resume.

Yeah, its time to get rid of Covid restrictions and open up borders, because as we all know, the pandemic is fully under control in both Japan and around the world...

...says the authority who is the head promoter for an entrepreneur group and co-founder of a sake recommendation company for foreigners which hasn't even started business yet.

As you should know, new variants which may escape vaccination immunity are not caused by unvaccinated developing countries. Quite the contrary.

Why don't you make a list of variants of importance and the places (and timing) where they were identified? you are going to get surprised. This is something that you should know already.

The virus will mutate to get around vaccinated people by mutating based on the immunity created by the vaccinations.

That is a very incomplete understanding of what immunity does and how variants appear, who do you think gives more time for variants to be selected and becoming predominant? a person that already have specific immunity against the virus, that even if not perfectly neutralizing it is still enough to defeat the infection faster? or a person that begins with zero specific immunity? The whole mistaken concept is based on the misunderstanding between causing mutations and selecting those mutations, those are two completely different processes.

So if anything, vaccinated people have more cause to a new, stronger mutation than the unvaccinated.

Completely false, the opposite is actually true and it is easy to corroborate it not only because of what experts say about the topic but (again) seeing where the variants have appeared. Big hint, there is no variant coming from Singapore, Malta or the Emirates, even when your explanation would make those countries much more likely for variants to appear, right?

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/no-vaccines-do-not-cause-new-sars-cov-2-variants

https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-vaccine-variants/fact-check-no-evidence-vaccination-efforts-are-causing-new-covid-19-variants-idUSL2N2NL1M2

“In places with high vaccination rates, the case numbers and mortality are dropping; virus diversity is limited to few (one to three) variants; and, so far, no new variants are emerging among vaccinated populations.”

Someone rational and also someone whose thinking will not be stuck in the 40s but will be aware that it is 2021/21st century.

At the same time, someone as uncontroversial as possible and aware of the importance of openness in foreign policy. And someone for whom corruption will not be acceptable (despite that being hidden behind "dinning out").

Certainly not Shinjirō Koizumi, Yuriko Koike and similar figures.

With several new variants looming on the horizon because of the lack of vaccines available in developing countries this appeal has terribly bad timing.

Too early.

True. Stop the madness

Drink at home.

Not too big experiments. Open now some up locally, but further and even harder restrict too far travels , allowing let’s say the own and neighboring prefectures only, and of course completely avoid global influx of new viruses or unknown variants at the borders.

@virusrex

With several new variants looming on the horizon because of the lack of vaccines available in developing countries this appeal has terribly bad timing.

As you should know, new variants which may escape vaccination immunity are not caused by unvaccinated developing countries. Quite the contrary.

The virus will mutate to get around vaccinated people by mutating based on the immunity created by the vaccinations.

So if anything, vaccinated people have more cause to a new, stronger mutation than the unvaccinated.

U are joking.

Sounds more like "Crash" Japan to me.

The race to reopen is real. First country that nails it will have a head start. Expect vaccine passports and the likes over the next few months. Those not vaccinated will have to accept responsibility for being locked out of quite a few reopening doors. Not ideal, but the only way forward really.

The coercive tactics we are seeing in the States and Australia though unfortunately may backfire. Only adds fuel to the resisters and fence-sitters. Don't think that's the way to go. Leave the option and risk assessment to the individual, and individual companies to work out their own strategies of how to navigate this prickly post/with corona world 2.0 whatever it will look like.

Another business owner asking the J govt to stop with the reputation of floundering, ease up on ineffective measures and assist businesses and people on getting back on track.

...and finish the SOE, and let people enjoy Izakaya and restaurants after 8pm and drinking alkohol.

And, some people just want their business travel again and ‘to get their nightly drink on’: )

*- @Monty 7:20am: “...and finish the SOE, and let people enjoy Izakaya and restaurants after 8pm and drinking alkohol.” -*