rowiko68 comments

Good to see that the company is taking appropriate action and doesn't try to get away with asking merely for an apology and a deep bow. Hopefully, with proper consequences, the culture will change!

Probably not as much as in other countries, as property in Japan depreciates so fast. But there is still the land it stands on, which in the current market (depending on the area, of course), is more likely to increase in value.

Goodness me...

No surprises there.

"Appropriate time"? What, when the war is over?

How about "now"?

No idea how others feel about this, and I must admit that I don't know anything about this Order of the Chrysanthemum, but I'm asking myself whether it's right to honour Abe-san with this decoration just days after he was gunned down, giving the impression that the only reason he is awarded this honour is that he was assassinated, rather than on the basis of his achievements (which I suppose is how it normally works with these Orders, similar to an OBE or an MBE in Britain).

Clearly Abe-san had been a leading figure in Japanese politics and on the world stage for many years (albeit also a controversial one), and I don't want to take away from that, but wouldn't there usually be a lot more deliberation before deciding to award someone this high honour?

It's interesting that although the studies the decision is based on say that the effectiveness of the vaccine lasts about 6 months, the booster jab is offered only after 8 months. Doesn't seem to make sense, as other countries do offer it after 6 months.

Other significant differences I have noticed when comparing to e.g. the UK, or Switzerland.

In Japan, the booster jab is essentially offered to anyone who wants it, once they've gone 8 months after the second.

In the UK, it's offered only to high risk groups and those over 50.

While in Switzerland it's offered only to high risk groups and those over 65, as they say that there is 'no evidence that the effectiveness of the vaccine diminishes with those in younger age groups'.

As ever, scientific evidence doesn't seem as conclusive as one would expect, leaving countries up to their own interpretations.

Certainly good news, though it seems strange that numbers have dropped so drastically just like that, while in all other countries figures are either stable at a relatively high level or point upwards? What makes Japan so different, I wonder?

It might help then to have a DIGITAL Covid certificate to actually make this practical. Surely people will not be expected to always carry a paper certificate with them? But then, maybe so. After all, this is Japan...

Lots of praise from athletes and officials for the Tokyo organisers and volunteers, for pulling off a 'successful' pandemic Olympics and Paralympics. But, for obvious reasons, very ambivalent feelings in Tokyo and Japan. Now that it's all over, we can (hopefully) go back to focus on what really matters. What remains of the Games is a rather questionable legacy. We have yet to see how history will eventually judge the Tokyo Olympics/Paralympics.

A few days of lower week-on-week numbers doesn't mean that things are now magically improving. Too early to see a clear positive trend. Besides, according to an NHK report today, the number of seriously ill patients in Japan is now at a record high, after setting a new record for the 15th day in a row.

@Pukey2 Yeah, that's probably it...

Insanity rules!

@genkigaijingirl I couldn't agree more! The technology exists, and so does the need. But it seems it's still being predominantly used in non-essential areas as a 'novelty'. The idea with this restaurant is good, but there should be so much more potential for this kind of technology - now more than ever before!

If I'm not mistaken, then this is the highest number for a Tuesday so far. Big increase from Tuesday last week (and thanks, JT, for adding that), but that figure was impacted by the public holiday on Monday, so 3 Aug may be a more meaningful comparison. On that day the number was 3,709. No change in the upward trend in sight, it seems.

@divinda I fully agree. Thus far, there may not be any actual evidence of the virus spreading from the "Olympic bubble" to the general public or vice versa (although that doesn't necessarily mean it's not happening), but the Games themselves, and the euphoria they create, send the message that "it's OK to let our guard down while we celebrate the sporting achievements".

The Asahi Shimbun yesterday wrote *"Tokyo’s state of emergency becoming a state of complacency"**.* The result of that is what we are now seeing in the skyrocketing numbers. Evidence that staging such a mega-event during a pandemic was a bad idea from the very beginning.

But for the Government to deny any link between the Olympics and the record number of Covid cases is self-evident. They (and the IOC) will never admit to that, but spin it anyway they can to justify the decision to go ahead.

I would hardly call it a "race", with only one single contender... Hosting the Summer Olympics used to be a huge honour and could bring benefits (if not necessarily of the financial kind) to the host, but these days there doesn't seem to be any appetite for staging this mega event and incurring those huge costs anymore. One has to question whether the current format still makes sense or should be overhauled.

But at least Brisbane is unlikely to experience the huge issues Tokyo is facing during these trying days...

Wow

@Mirchy, I think the simple answer is, they can't, despite Bach's assurances that the Olympic Village is "absolutely safe". But let's see how this will all unfold in the coming days...

The signs are there that it will be.

On the plus side, yes, vaccinations are progressing (though still not fast enough).

At the same time I understand that the much more transmissable Delta variant apparently still only accounts for 30% of all new infections (which would be a much lower ratio than in other countries). Despite that, the numbers have been rising fast in the past couple of weeks.

With the Delta variant expected to become more dominant as time progresses, and more movement and risk caused by the Olympics, I believe that the only way is up. The only question is how much.

“IOC Pres. Thomas Bach is scheduled to arrive in Tokyo on Thurs, when he will be greeted by … ? [fill in the blank] ... large crowds of cheering people? Nah, maybe not, lol.

If they cut attendance to zero, there won't be any need to release lottery results at all...

A lot more to follow in the days and weeks ahead, no doubt.

"Earnestly hoping" may not be quite enough...

Fascinating how a 'slight shift in public opinion' can turn an 80% opposition to holding the Games next month into a 'majority in favour' of holding it...

Cap at 10,000. Regardless of size of venue???

I believe that was the plan all along: Extend the SoE until 20 Jun to bring case numbers down to a level that would seem to somehow justify allowing spectators. After all, they wouldn't want to have to forgo all of the ticket revenue, right?

"The central government is also considering administering ... the vaccine at workplaces to further accelerate the rollout."

I thought that one of the main problems with the vaccination program was a lack of personnel authorized to give a jab... So how exactly this plan is going to help accelerate the rollout is not quite clear to me...

Well put, @Aly Rustom and @A Canadian!

And why exactly is this relevant?