Justin Person comments

77 dead from a single day of landslides. Hiroshima prefecture deaths from coronavirus after seven months... 3. May all their souls rest in peace and their families find solace.

First BLM and now this??

How many deaths? If the pure number of cases is the main concern, then we should be equally alarmed about the cases of flu and common cold. By most media accounts the number of deaths are declining. That's good news.

I will be waiting to learn the source of their infection. Nothing definitive yet. so let's hold judgement until it's known.

Perpetual lockdowns? How will people pay bills and feed their families? Lockdown is 100%. Nobody agrees on exact number for running odds against coronavirus death, but all agree it is minuscule - below hundredth of a percent.

Stating the obvious! When it comes to politics, presentation IS ALL that matters. This has been, is, and will be true for as long as humans exist and engage in politics.

Negative today, positive tomorrow.

Those who refuse to wear masks as some kind of loyalty symbol to Trump are doing nothing more than helping to spread death.

Plenty of rioters and protesters not wearing masks over the past month. Doubt they were Trump supporters. Not much talk about the protests being a major contributor to the recent spike in cases because it doesn't fit the political narrative. Thousands of new cases from restaurants and private parties, not from the tens of thousands of closely-gathered protests screaming their vapors everywhere? Media is all about the science, except when... Really disingenuous.

issuing a plea for people to avoid crowds 

Seattle health officials gathered 1,200 signatures from other health "scientists" on a petition that officially supported the protest gatherings. Dereliction of duty from those who's only mission is supposed to be public health, during a global pandemic no less.

"It's happening far too often, scenes where black people and people of color in general are dying at the hands of law enforcement, usually for really minor offenses," said Ben Kelso, president of the San Diego chapter of the National Black Police Association.

Mr. Kelso's statement is disingenuous. They are not dying because they committed a minor offense. The common denominator in these tragedies is resisting/fleeing/attacking the police. It completely changes the situational dynamics and often turns a minor offense into a major offense. With that said, yes there are some bad cops. There are also some bad black citizens. Painting with a broad brush is a two-way street.

Yes there will be more cases as the world moves forward. The virus is not going away until a vaccine is developed. Take personal precautions, maintain a positive future outlook. If you feel safer at home then please stay there. Let's get on with our lives and jobs. This is another one of life's challenges.

These crowds have been in full effect for the past couple weeks already. Has nobody been looking at the headlines?

It's a noble attempt but, once you give them the keys to your home they will be living with you. No matter how many "opt outs" and promises to use data responsible.

There is money and power-seeking behind these protests. Follow the money. These kids in Japan are not really that concerned about the USA incident, but they are like all kids and they want to feel like they are a part of something important. Nothing of the same magnitude for the many blacks killed by other blacks. Nothing of the same magnitude for the many whites killed by blacks. Nothing of the same magnitude for the many non-blacks killed by police.

“All Lives Matter” has been and is used as a counter to minimize or dismiss the very real issues specific to, faced by African Americans

All Lives Matter.... where did you not understand the definition of "All".

Funny the guy in the photo with the "lifes matter" sign did not get the message.

Yes funny that the crowd of protesters do not understand the definition of "All"... actually it's heartbreaking

All Lives Matter used to be perfectly fine to say. Now its some type of counter protest?

Yes that's correct. Fire is cold, water is dry, and stating all lives matter is racist. You don't understand this logic? Blacks are the only members of society affected by bad cops.

Black officers abuse white kid in juvenile facility: https://disq.us/url?url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6Qd-NLFNwg:zdwazbucJ9jsgmd3TWPf2VcsZvM&cuid=3289073

White officers abuse white college kid: https://disq.us/url?url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HujPlUyTXRY:dNnG3ZXm2xJqUNZTMRUFfb8HJ2k&cuid=3289073

White officers abuse white mentally ill man: https://disq.us/url?url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGXpRqP-9rU:aTDLCDTiCK1MDMix_qGA3CtA9RU&cuid=3289073

@Whatsnext

That picture. I rather stay home than Do that. Meaningless

Brother/Sister - I feel you, but please go out and enjoy with your friends even under these circumstances. It's better than being locked inside. When the rules in my area are relaxed I plan to eat yakinikku and get blinded :-) This will pass in a couple years. Kampai - Cheers - Salute!

To paraphrase the headline... "the future is uncertain". Thank you Captain Obvious! My future-predicting magic crystal ball was fully operational until COVID19 came along. Now I don't know what tomorrow holds - mendokusai ne!!! This article should be listed in the gardening section as "sowing the seeds of uncertainty".

@Sneezy

What's your point? None of this is relevant, unless you believe that being an absentee father and having been to prison a handful of times is punishable by execution by a state official without trial.

Floyd wasn't "executed" in response to his past crimes. I want to see the cop convicted of murder as he did not exhibit a reasonable respect for life in that situation. Floyd could have avoid the situation completely had he led a less-criminal lifestyle and reacted to his life's challenges in a way that was not counter-productive. This human drama and tragedy has been playing out for thousands of years. To suggest it's a unique situation for a particular racial demographic in our current times is deceitful and utterly false.

Prior to May 26th, COVID19 dominated every second of the news and media was acting as though the entire planet was going to die from the virus. One day later, COVID19 is back page news and everyone be killed by the police. If you are black, the police will kill you twice. Maybe once all the civilians are murdered and all that remain are the police, we'll see the COVID19 news come back to the spotlight?

Live houses are for entertainment and not a necessity. Patrons are directly interacting with each other, most likely majority not wearing masks. Trains are a necessity for transportation. Commuters are only indirectly interacting and majority are wearing masks. I think that's what been taken into consideration in this situation.

JeffLeeToday  07:11 am JST

"... all seating is roped off with plastered signs indicating it is due to "social distancing". Hard to see the logic."

I am seeing that too. Authorities are reducing public spaces by blocking them off, thereby cramming more people together as part of "social distancing." Japanese logic, I guess.

I'd say it's more of a government logic not limited to Japan. I've seen a lot of illogical responses to this whole situation throughout the world. A large portion of this falls on individual personal responsibility. We should do what we can to stop the virus spread and not panic about that which we can't control. Else stay home if you don't feel comfortable outside.

Richard GallagherToday  08:08 pm JST

I am a homeroom teacher. Upper elementary. Read the available academic and scholarly analysis of remote learning and you will find naught but criticism. It is absolutely not a substitute for actual classroom learning and the social activities that mark successful teaching.

So true Richard. As an educator I hope your voice is heard. Interpersonal education, physical fitness, hands-on experiments and the arts... just can't be done effectively with a monitor, camera and microphone. The human experience is truly lost, especially amongst the young who are dipping their toes into the waters of life for the first time.

voicing concerns over a virus that has killed hundreds of thousands 

Hundreds of thousands of people die from something or other every year. Reporting the large numbers is sensationalism. Using percentages it's a very small factor. Improve your life quality by rejecting panic, then live long and prosper!

Those lingering fears just won't go away...

“For young men of color, police use of force is among the leading causes of death.”

This a false statement. Leading cause of death for young men of color is their own peers.

The economy needs to keep moving yes. But at what cost to people's health? It's great to say 'wash your hands, social distance' but Tokyo is too crowded.

The cost to people's health is extremely, extremely low. And out of that overwhelming low percentage of people who get ill, another extremely, extremely low number die. Meanwhile people can't feed their families, pay their bills, or seek routine medical treatment in huge amounts. This is the real cost to people's health. It's time to stop the panic and hysteria and start the task of moving forward with this new challenge.

The media sensationalism of the coronavirus is in and of itself misinformation. 40% of USA deaths are from closed aged people facilities. The top five regions of USA for deaths are not politically aligned with the President. Either Trump is reckless stupid and incapable to doing anything or he is a diabolical mastermind that inflicted this on his rivals.

Michael MachidaToday  02:47 pm JST

If Governments around the world would tell the truth about CoronaVirus and the statistics and the honest situation in each country, there would not be any mis-information to begin with.

That is a really big fantasy "If" at the beginning of your post.

Vince BlackToday  12:44 pm JST

Agreed it’s always the ignorant old women that grope all the fruit and vegetables without a care for anyone else. Anytime you see such abhorrent behaviors just say something to them, loud enough for others to hear. They always stop after that.

People from every country around the world handle fruits and vegetables prior to buying as a way to determine state of ripeness. This is normal and not considered bad behavior. For those concerned... COVID-19 is not spread by eating it. It's a respiratory thing.

For those worried about people touching fruits and vegetables in the stores.... scientists believe you cannot become infected with COVID-19 by eating. The virus is destroyed by our digestive system. If you rub that avocado around your eyes and nose after obaasan touched it then... Transmission by breathing, coughing and sneezing are the main risk factors. Wash your hands often to reduce risk of touching face. When you go to the grocery store, either wear a mask or hold you breath and pinch your nose while shopping :-D