The number of new COVID-19 confirmed cases in Japan is noticeably decreasing. In Tokyo (2190.9), which is about 3.5 times the area of Seoul (605.2), the number of confirmed cases per day during the month of November was only 31. Even on a national scale, the number of confirmed cases per day throughout November was less than 300. This is a surprising number considering that the infection explosion continued immediately after the Tokyo Olympics, resulting in an average of 10,000 to 20,000 confirmed cases a day. Due to the sharp drop in the number of confirmed cases, Japanese society is rapidly recovering its daily lives. Immediately after the emergency declaration was lifted at the end of September, regulations on operating hours in public libraries and indoor gymnasiums in Tokyo were drastically eased and returned to pre-COVID-19 levels from November. Restrictions on liquor sales and business hours in restaurants have also been lifted altogether. From December 1, infection prevention measures, which require only four people per table to eat, have also been eased to eight. Measures to set the number of spectators at sports events and concert halls to less than 10,000 have also been eased, allowing them to be accommodated without an upper limit if they are within 50% of the capacity. Regarding the easing of such infection prevention measures, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said, “It is important to thoroughly take basic infection prevention measures while resuming socio-economic activities.”
Professor Kazuhiro Tateda, a member of the Japanese government’s COVID-19 Countermeasure Subcommittee, said of the current infection situation, “Two months have passed since the declaration of an emergency was lifted at the end of September, but the nationwide decline is still maintained. The vaccination rate also exceeded 76% of those who completed the second vaccination, and the number of infected people nationwide is maintained at a low level, so it continues to be in very good condition, he said. However, the increasingly cold weather is creating an environment where viruses are likely to spread, and if the vaccine effect weakens in December and January, the factors that induce an increase in infection will increase, he pointed out. Tokyo, where the downtown area is recovering from population movement.
On the afternoon of November 28, Shinjuku, a downtown area in Tokyo, was filled with citizens even though the weather suddenly became chilly. Most of the cafes in the large shopping center were full, and the donut chain Mr. Donut even produced a line of more than 10 citizens for admission. Shinokubo, a Korean town in Tokyo, about 20 minutes’ walk from Shinjuku, was so crowded that it was hard to believe that it was a COVID-19 situation. In front of the store that sells Korean-style hot dogs and hotteok, nearly 20 people were waiting for the order. A citizen (20s office worker), who was waiting for entry in front of a Korean restaurant, said, “I visited the Korean town because I wanted to eat Korean food after watching the popular drama Squid Game… I didn’t know there would be this many people,” he said. It is strange to hear that there is no significant difference in vaccination rates (in Korea and Japan) regarding the recent surge in the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases in Korea while the trend continues to decline in Japan. Japan also said, “It is clear that the number of confirmed cases will increase significantly around January.” The Japanese government announced on November 29 that it would ban all foreigners from entering the country after a new mutant virus Omicron was discovered in South Africa. Less than a month after the business purpose visit to Japan, international students, and functional trainees were granted new entry, the border closure was announced again on November 8. Regarding the ban on new foreigners entering the country, Akiko Moriya, director of the Yokohama City University’s Global Promotion Office, said in an interview with NHK, “It’s a pity that (foreign students) entry was banned as soon as they thought they would resume, but I don’t think we can help it.” However, despite the ban on new foreigners entering the country, a person infected with Omicron was found in Japan on November 30. According to Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the infected person was a Namibian diplomat in his 30s and had no symptoms when he arrived at Narita Airport on November 28. However, the PCR test conducted immediately after entering the country was positive, and the genetic analysis of the sample confirmed that it was an Omicron infection. The man entered the country with two family members, but the remaining two were reportedly tested negative.
Japanese citizens expressed their concerns with the Omicron variant as they just recovered from the previous wave of the virus. Citizens’ anxiety is rising in Okinawa Prefecture, where U.S. military bases in Japan are concentrated in connection with the Japanese government’s ban on new entry following the discovery of Omicron. This is because new U.S. troops are still able to enter the country due to visa exemption measures under the U.S. Security Agreement. On November 30, Ryukyu Shinbo, a local media outlet in Okinawa Prefecture, pointed out the uncertainty of information sharing from the U.S. military, saying, “There is a possibility that Omicron will spread through U.S. military bases that are not subject to quarantine in Japan.”Attention is focusing on whether it will lead to the shock of Omicron and implementation of economic measures.
On November 19, the Kishida Cabinet announced economic measures worth 55.7 trillion yen (about 570 trillion won) to restore the sluggish Japanese economy in the aftermath of the coronavirus. A case in point is the resumption of the “Go To Travel” campaign, which the government supports up to half of domestic travel expenses to revitalize the tourism business and boost domestic demand. The campaign began in July last year, but was suspended during Suga’s cabinet due to increased infection. However, there are also voices of concern in the tourism industry that the occurrence of Omicron may make it difficult to resume the campaign. Prime Minister Kishida showed caution on November 29, saying, “I want to review (whether to resume) after seeing the infection situation at the end of the year and New Year holidays. The resumption of the campaign is a prerequisite to ensure safety and safety and stabilize the infection situation at this point, Saita Tetsuo said at a press conference held on November 30. “There are many unclear parts about Omicron, but I want to keep an eye on future infections.”
Mike Choi
Asia Journal
