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Arthur Brown comments

Posted in: Japan to cut 7-day quarantine period for those entering country to 3 days See in context

Why is 2 doses not enough?

> I was under the impression that 2 shots was "fully vaccinated"

> How can anybody be more vaccinated than "fully"?

My impression is that it is intended to punish people that "didn't get vaccinated soon enough". Or, for example, you held out on getting the first two vaccine shots because you wanted a guarantee that all restrictions would be immediately dropped and that the governments would actually be taking steps to return to normalcy. That didn't happen, in fact governments including Japan ended up introducing more restrictions after the original Fauci target goal of 2/3rds the population getting the vaccine.

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

Posted in: Japan to ease COVID border controls, entry quarantine from March See in context

A step in the right direction (albeit it too late). Unfortunately, I can already lump part of what they are doing into the category of "useless and excessive Covid preventative measures".

The government is looking at eliminating the current seven-day quarantine period for nonresident entrants if they present certificates showing a negative COVID-19 test result and a third vaccine dose, the source said.

Why is the booster shot even a requirement? If an individual were to say, for example, get their second shot a month before leaving for Japan, why wouldn't that itself be sufficient? The whole point of the booster was to "boost" the individual's immunity after an extended period of time. Instead it just looks like we are trying to help Pfizer make even more money.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Posted in: U.S., European business leaders urge Japan to end COVID entry ban See in context

European Business or U.S. has no rights to force Japan to open up its borders during a pandemic.

You're missing the point. What they are trying to get across to Japan is that the actions that Japan has taken will have consequences. I doubt that any country would do anything as petty or as illogical as banning Japanese people from entering.

But it may mean that US/European companies simply stop doing business with/buying from/selling to Japan. It may mean that if universities overseas cannot send their students to Japan, well maybe they will stop taking in Japanese students. Japanese people may not be able to get work visas if they wanted to try working for foreign companies.

Japan is not being forced by anyone to do anything. Well, that's not true actually - Japanese voters are forcing Japan to do foolish things. Educated people in Japan realize how much of their country's success is owed to foreign countries/people's.

Japan needs the rest of the world more than the rest of the world needs Japan, it's that simple.

-6 ( +7 / -13 )

Posted in: U.S., European business leaders urge Japan to end COVID entry ban See in context

Let's think about it this way:

Innovation and advances in medicine, science, and technology are primarily driven by countries like the US and the UK, to name a few examples. That is to say the English speaking world is responsible for not all but most of the world's progress. New findings and advancements are being discovered primarily at Western higher education institutions, not Japanese ones. Our world is technology and data driven. The fundamental language of all computers, all programming languages, networks, and operating environments is ENGLISH. English is the world's lingua franca. It's spoken in nearly every country on the globe as either a primary or recognized language. It links languages together, and allows for a system of global cultural exchange. You know how many other countries in which Japanese is an official language? Zero. Not good for a country that already struggles with English proficiency test scoring rates.

It eventually becomes abundantly clear that Japan as a country and as an economy is basically carried by the English speaking world. The majority of Japan's prosperity and success has been because people from foreign countries have wanted to come here and share their ideas and talents. There are a lot of countries that probably wish foreigners wanted to move there and study/work (for example, Uzbekistan). Global exchange has been a blessing to Japan. Foreigners coming to Japan propelled Japan several centuries forward in the mid 1800s. Yet every step of the way nativists here have needed to dragged by the ear kicking and screaming in order for progress to be made.

Japan is not a global leader, it is a global follower. This is not a society that inspires heavily in the way of innovation or creating new things. I will acknowledge Japan's workaholic culture does make it easier for them to take what other people have made and improve them (like trains or automobiles).

The travel ban doesn't reveal what Japan is turning into, rather it is revealing what Japan has always been. Sadly despite the constant injustices and nasty ways in which foreigners have always been treated, bigger and stronger countries will always find a reason to give Japan another chance. Japan will continue getting a million more "second chances", because that's just the way the world works.

But have no misconceptions. If gaijin stopped endlessly propping up Japan, it would collapse.

-3 ( +11 / -14 )

Posted in: Princess Yoko, hospitalized with COVID, develops pneumonia See in context

Only citizens and residents have a right to enter Japan. Others will have to wait - and deal with it.

Anybody and everybody has a right to criticize and rail against Japan for endless nonsense, hypocrisy, and selective enforcement, until they stop it and we see fit. Until that time comes, I see no reason to stop dunking on Japan's elite protected class/it's defenders. Those that don't like it will have to wait, and deal with it.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

Posted in: Princess Yoko, hospitalized with COVID, develops pneumonia See in context

Princess Yoko, my bad.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Posted in: Princess Yoko, hospitalized with COVID, develops pneumonia See in context

Foul.

> Downplaying and ridiculing the dangers of Covid that has developed into pneumonia - for anyone, royal or not - and claiming lozenges and tissues are all thats needed - is pretty low.

> But expected, to be honest.

What's amazing is how hysterically the "Nippon Ganbare" crowd could react to said comment

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

Posted in: Japan's border policy keeping hundreds of thousands of foreigners in limbo See in context

If Japan opens up the borders, as so many on here are demanding, a significant proportion of those entering will have the virus. This is fact - we are seeing this around the world with the nations that are open. And a percentage of them will go on to need Japanese healthcare.

What mathematical equation are you using or what evidence/studies are you referencing to determine a "significant proportion" of them would be carrying it? And what is a significant percentage? 1%? 3%? 30%? To this date I still have yet to be shown any valid studies that correlate international travel with increasing Covid infection rates. Meanwhile trains in Tokyo remain packed. Shinjuku station is packed. Yokohama station is packed. Much more so than I have ever seen at ANY airport ANYWHERE.

I also imagine, not a large amount of individuals that are college-aged would require hospitalization if infected. This is obviously what the Japanese government believes considering they have most people quarantining at home and not in a hospital. The new variant is also weaker and many have acquired immunity in some form or another. So that argument falls flat.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Posted in: Japan's border policy keeping hundreds of thousands of foreigners in limbo See in context

Full four year paid tuition for every student that was cruelly denied entry when borders reopen. Otherwise, Japanese government made promises to these people and stabbed them in the back, so they could appease the only demographic that actually votes (elderly).

We know that they won't do that and these kids were denied a once in a lifetime opportunity while students here crammed into packed exam centers because Japan didn't want to modify it's university entrance system. Please do not pretend that such overtly contradicting policies do anything to stop the spread of Covid.

-8 ( +15 / -23 )

Posted in: Japan's border policy keeping hundreds of thousands of foreigners in limbo See in context

I can't think of anything more lame or pathetic than half-baked nationalist-types flaunting their uncharismatic "patriotism" by trying to keep students and workers out of the country as a means of trying to stop the spread of Covid while mechanically repeating "Ganbare Nippon". Japan alone has absolutely no power or strength to stand up to countries that hate Japan, so instead they go after people that like Japan. Funny how that works.

-6 ( +28 / -34 )

Posted in: Japan looks to expand COVID quasi-emergency to Tokyo, 10 other prefectures See in context

What ever vaccine opinion you have we need to start to live with this, this in out attitude just grinds people down.

The problem is that people tolerated it. People did what the government told them. Many of us were "grinded down" three months into this garbage and realized the evident futility of it all.

You want to send a message to the Japanese govt, don't wear a mask. Don't get the booster. Support businesses that defy the dining curfews/alcohol bans.

-4 ( +16 / -20 )

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