Tora comments

The last part of the article tells us what we know is coming after Coronavirus has gone away.

"One big obstacle for introducing such remote work reforms, argue some, is productivity -- which seems to fall when people are away from their office"

This is telling us it will be back to business as usual in Japan, as the Japanese people are too "inefficient" when working from home. Meanwhile, in the rest of the world productivity has been much higher, and some countries are seriously looking at revamping the entire working structure, including seriously considering introducing a four day working week.

The real reason things won't change here is that Japanese workers are controlled in every aspect of their lives and the powers that be want to keep it that way.

@Japantime Even the article says most payments are still dealt with in cash. It is the average Japanese person who has no clue. But who can blame them, where there are dozens of different ways to pay now, and it depends on the business as whether they accept one particular form of payment over another. Some take only one type, some take several, some take them all, but they all accept cash!

I can't recall the number of times I have been screwed by not carrying cash and assuming that LinePay or the Railcard would work for payments.

No wonder people here prefer cash. It has nothing to do with foreigners.

So they compulsorily test some baseball players and lo and behold, they find some positives. Now if they only extrapolated this throughout the general population, or even just made it simple for get tested. Me thinks this shows that the coronavirus is much more prevalent than they are saying.

@Raw

LOL!! Can see if now: everybody looking spiffy, but really they're naked in front of the camera. Would be great in the Japanese summer.

Mikan Yamada, 8, said, "I had been worried I might not be able to attend school ever again.

Mikan? Nice parenting! Also the comment says it all.

@rainyday

Its worth mentioning that this is not Meiji University, just a uni with a similar sounding name. Meiji University is among the top private universities in Japan. 

My bad! You're right. That makes it even more disconcerting.

Loads of unis doing it.... Sounds like an advertisment for Meiji Uni.

"Upgrading the system to create the registration forms and sending them out will take time," an official of the Hokkaido capital said.

That is ridiculous! Is he saying that they need to install software so they can create a form? This needs to be explained clearly! Other countries didn't have to "upgrade systems" in order to process emergency support payments in timely manners. Somebody needs to get on Zoom and talk to German officials to see how it is done.

This is Japanese bureaucracy at its finest.

@wobot

Taniguchi was arrested at her family’s home on April 16 after 0.025 grams of dried cannabis were found inside a bag.

It's a translation. The passive voice is pervasive in the Japanese language. That causes a lot of confusion for native speakers, too.

(cont), this is a huge change and will require considerable thought and planning to implement.

At the moment, Abe should concentrate on successfully dealing with the coronavirus.

This plan assumes that the pandemic is over by then. Experts are already warning of a possible second wave in the autumn.

Second, the plan at the moment seems to up the the high school level. Universities have already started or will start teaching courses one for this semester. This makes sense, since we don't know when the crisis will be over. It is possible the second semester will also have to be taught online too, depending on how things pan out with the virus.

I think it is a good plan, and necessary, but needs to be set up and implemented along with a change in the university year and company hiring practices. This is a huge change and will require conaiderable

At the moment

@collegepark30349

Sorry but there is absolutely no excuse for not having regular access to a PC at the University level. This is NOT the early 90s. Even in the early 90s most students had their own laptops at my uni.

Students in Japan all seem to have 100,000 yen iPhones, and most spend up to 10,000 a month data plans, yet cry out they can't afford to buy a laptop. The issue is that they NOT getting computer literacy skills before university. That is unacceptable.

Students should be required to have their own PC at the University level, especially in a developed country like Japan. Universities should not have to put up with students wanting to submit assignments handwritten or via iPhone.

As I posted a few days ago, it's entirely possible (and acceptable) to go entirely digital for seals. The digital one will suffice for most daily things, including internal company documents.

The issue is the official, registered veraion that is used for important documents, including your bank Although, go easy on the banks. They have recently introduced inkan'less accounts.

Change is possible and Japan should use this crisis to ease up on a lot of the bureaucratic processes that encompass life here.

The university that says that they are able to provide the same level of education online as off, needs to be careful! They are effectively saying what we suspected all along: there is no need for face-to-face classes. This crisis will expose the whole higher education scam in this country.

And a translation issues in the article:

"My heart bleeds...."

To me, as a native speaker, it means: "I couldn't care less."

As above posters mentioned, how come those with connections can get tested, even without symptoms? Meanwhile, the rest of us are rejected and only accepted for a test unless on verge of death. More and more cases in Japan now where people almost dying, or even dead being tested, and being found positive.

For the average person in japan, after getting symptoms, it takes a week to finally get a test (if you make a lot of noise!), and a week before results are out (that isn't a joke). Many people give up, or are just rejected, especially if you are young. Heard young are just flat out rejected if they have any symptoms and ask to be tested.

To improve the situation:

1 The use of cash needs to be banned during this crisis. It's ridiculous how they have these screens and you still have places accepting cash. In some cases, it's the only payment option. I told my local bakery that I refuse to go back until they introduce cashless options. Other countries that are serious about this crisis banned cash from the outset. People and retailers coped.

2 For smaller retailers they must have a policy of one in, one out. Supermarkets should have no more than several customers in at one time. People queuing outside should be 2m apart.

3 The elderly should be discouraged from going shopping where possible. If they live alone, a family member/neighbour should shop for them and drop things off at their door.

4 What is with the every three days? Try: once a week. WTH are supermarkets now limiting number of baskets to one per customer to discourage people from buying enough so they can reduce shopping days. No more than one family member should be out shopping. This would also discourage queues.

@Mirai Hayashi

For example, what if a restaurant has pest infestation problem (rats or roaches -although in Japan that doesn't really seem to be a problem either). 

Have you been to central Tokyo locations like Shinjuku or Shibuya? Many establishments are cesspools of rodent and roach activity. Personally seen loads of cockroaches and, Shibuya is famous for being rat ridden. Maybe in your part of Japan is very hygienic?

@London_Bhoy

That would be THE Coronavirus, not Coronavirus.

Covid-19, bro.

@It's 2020 , why would any gay person be afraid of being "outed " if so be the case ?

Who gives a c##p what people or your company think !

Um, that would be because Japan is actually a deeply conservative society. It's not anywhere near as liberal as you might think.

My prediction is that the lockdown will be extended, and under exisiting legislation, landlords will be compelled to cut/suspend rents. Likewise, banks will be asked to suspend loan repayment requirements, since otherwise many landlords will struggle, too. These options are already being discussed.

Still talking about 2021???

Good luck getting the volunteers (salves) you need run the whole thing. Can't see anybody going near Tokyo for those pointless "orientations"organisers were running.

And this is just ONE of a myriad of issues facing the Olympics. There is simply NO WAY "Tokyo 2020" in 2021 is going to happen.

Just put the whole damned fiasco off until 2024, after this pandemic has had plenty of time to run its course and society has regained "some" sense of normality. I can guarantee getting Paris to agree to 2028 won't be an issue.

For a realistic solution to this that won't involve tota al overwhelming of the health system and untold deaths all at once, look up " the Hammer and the Dance." The NTC Daily also had something on this.

Welcome to a future where we are going go have to learn to live with this virus and keep total social distancing. It will likely be a little social distancing followed by lockdown, followed by social distancing, and lockdown. Until we get a vaccine or immunity (even if for a while).

Why do so many commentators think that the Japanese hygiene is better than elsewhere? I can tell you again: it is NOT.

Are they seriously thinking we will all be saved if we take our shoes off and wash our hands as instructed by Pikotaro's new video.

Unbelievable.

i know it was a lovely day in Tokyo but people going out like that just means that they have accepted they are going to be in this for the long haul. The government remains 100% committed to the herd immunity approach.

Meanwhile, those countries that acted quickly and endured just a month or so of pain are slowly coming out of lock down and will be able to get back to work slowly, albeit with social distancing. Schools and businesses will be able to open. The key is that they will have it somewhat under control.

Japanese actions, meanwhile, will ensure hosptials stay full for a long, long, long time and just more and more places will be needed for quarantine. A few rooms now becomes 200,000, and soon will become a million and so on and so on. The virus will slowly strangle Japan. Most small businesses and schools will have to remain shut.

Also, taking the herd immunity approach may be dangerous if people are not infact conferred immunity, which is looking more and more likely.

2% of the total tested cases dead so far on Japan. And we are only getting started.

And I see the WHO is trying to gain some credibility back by telling us that long-term immunity is unlikely and not to think that a vaccine will save us. Social distancing could become the new "norm".

Japan: prepare for an extension beyond the May 6.

Who still thinks the Olympics will be on next year? Told you before: try 2022, if we are extremely lucky.

The system is truly broken. But we have known this for years.

Eventually, they will have to stop flying. Just get it out of the way already and concentrate on eliminating the virus through getting the RO below 1 and then to zero.

It's the only way. Unless you believe in the tooth fairy.....

Those with high temps are already probably sick enough to not be going out. What about the asymptomatic ones, or those that have Covid-19 without a high temp, of those that had a high temp for a few days but now had subsided? And what if you just have a temperature but no Covid-19?

This stupid policy by airlines needs to stop! It's like the 100ml liquid policy. That soon expanded to include honey, jam, etc, etc. And why 100ml? You can have that but not 110ml. I had some under use 110ml toothpaste (10% extra free) confiscated. Tried to explain that half empty means that only around 60ml remained. Still confiscated.

We are bring manipulated and controlled.

And Adern took a 20% pay cut to show solidarity with others who are struggling. I noticed that Japanese lawmakers also did the same, announced on the 14th, following her lead. Not surprising.

Also noticed Japan finally getting serious about this crisis. Deciding to finally expand testing options and to declare nationwide emergency.

Finally woken up to the fact that the only way to tackle this successfully is to test, trace and isolate as implemented by NZ, Singpaore, Denmark, Norway, S. Korea and others, eh? The only issue is that it is going to take a lot more to stop the runaway train now, which means a prolonged period of hardship for Japan.

Just reading these comments and I am struck by the stupidly, ignorance and xenophobic attitudes.

https://www.google.co.jp/amp/s/www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200416/amp/k10012390601000.html

Everybody who lives and works here will get it. Like some mentioned, all workers also got it in 2009 as well, permanent resident, or not.

Now calm down!

Rent payments need to be suspended first or it's meaningless. There is emergency legislation that can be implemented to force landlords to suspend requirements for the payment of rent in the time of crisis. Before handing out any money, the government needs to enact that legislation, or the money will go straight to landlords. All rent/mortgage repayment requirements should be suspended until this crisis is over. In fact, I saw a top lawmaker was arguing this just the other morning. This legislation needs to implemented NOW