Global Hotspots｜Enter "Emergency" Where will Japan go in fighting the epidemic?
(Source: Xinhua News Agency 2020-04-09)
Xinhua News Agency, Tokyo, April 9thFrom the initial "epidemic cruise" docked in Japan to the fate of the Tokyo Olympics, Japan's new crown epidemic has always attracted the attention of the outside world. Japan has recently introduced two major measures to deal with the epidemic.
On the one hand, after long planning and twists and turns, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe finally declared a "state of emergency" in seven core prefectures. On the other hand, the Japanese Cabinet meeting passed the largest economic stimulus plan in history, providing financial support to small and medium-sized enterprises and families in need, totaling 108 trillion yen (1 US dollar is equivalent to 109 yen).
Analysts believe that the number of confirmed cases in Japan is increasing. Despite successive "big moves" to fight the epidemic, Japan faces huge challenges at this stage, especially how to coordinate between the central and local governments and whether economic stimulus measures can be put in place in a timely manner. Please read the Xinhua News Agency reporter’s report.
Emergency does not mean "closing down the city"
Since the end of March, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Japan has increased rapidly. April will be a critical period for the direction of the epidemic in Japan.
On April 5, the number of people infected with the new coronavirus in Tokyo exceeded 1,000, setting a new record of 143 people infected in a single day.
On April 7, in Osaka, Japan, an electronic display screen was playing the news of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s declaration of emergency. Xinhua News Agency/Kyodo News
Shinzo Abe, who has been cautiously watching, finally issued an emergency declaration on the 7th. The seven core prefectures of Tokyo, Osaka, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Hyogo and Fukuoka entered a one-month state of emergency. At the same time, he called on citizens to avoid "three C's" (closed, dense and close contact) environments as much as possible, and not to go to nightclubs, karaoke and other entertainment venues, and not to gather with many people for dinner.
Japan's declaration of a state of emergency does not mean "closing the city". People are not restricted from going out. Supermarkets, banks, hospitals, etc. also operate as usual. However, the governors of these seven prefectures can formulate measures based on the local epidemic situation, requiring residents to stop going out, suspending schools, closing leisure and entertainment venues, and compulsorily expropriating land and buildings.
On April 7, in Tokyo, Japan, the number of tourists at Sensoji Commercial Street decreased significantly. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Du Xiaoyi
According to the reporter’s understanding, on the 8th, department stores, station building commercial facilities, cinemas, entertainment venues, etc. in the above-mentioned seven prefectures were closed voluntarily. It has also been observed that public transportation in Tokyo is operating as usual, and supermarkets, pharmacies, banks and hospitals are also open as usual.
The largest economic stimulus plan in history
On the 7th, in order to alleviate the impact of the new coronavirus epidemic on the economy, Japan’s cabinet meeting approved the largest economic stimulus plan in history.
In this economic stimulus plan, fiscal expenditure reaches 39.5 trillion yen. The funds will be mainly used to: provide subsidies of up to 2 million yen to small and medium-sized enterprises whose turnover has dropped significantly; provide subsidies of up to 1 million yen to self-employed individuals whose income has dropped significantly; and provide living assistance subsidies to qualifying families.
In addition, the government will subsidize medical companies to develop and produce related drugs, subsidize companies to expand the production of ventilators, masks and other supplies, subsidize Japanese society to build new economic forms such as remote working and home working, and provide interest-free loans to companies facing financial difficulties.
Can the major measures achieve the desired results?
Japan officially issued a declaration of emergency, aiming to reduce social distance, reduce the chance of infection between people, and strive to reduce the growth curve of confirmed cases of the new crown in two weeks.
However, at the implementation level, the Japanese government still faces many problems, such as whether governments at all levels can fulfill their responsibilities to deepen people's understanding of anti-epidemic measures, and how to coordinate between the central and local governments.
For example, prefectures and prefectures are currently not consistent in deciding which industries and facilities are required to close. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government will announce the industries and facilities required to close on the 10th, but there are differences with the central government on the specific industries involved. The remaining six prefectures and counties have stated that they will not require private facilities to close operations at this stage. The reason is that "it will be difficult to understand if it is not accompanied by compensation measures."
In addition, since people are not restricted from going out, whether Japan's "soft" anti-epidemic measures can achieve the desired results depends largely on the consciousness of all sectors of society.
In terms of economy, the epidemic has severely damaged Japan's automobile manufacturing industry, tourism service industry, catering industry, etc.Zhao Jing, associate professor of the Japanese Department of the w88 casino, believes that the 108 trillion yen cash stimulus plan is tantamount to injecting a "shot in the arm" into this downturn and preventing Japan's long-term deflation situation from getting worse.
However, considering the complexity of subsidy disbursement, the speed of fund disbursement is causing concern. If money cannot be sent to those in need at the most difficult time, the original intention of the Japanese government will be greatly compromised.
Background link
According to the new crown epidemic statistics released by Japan Broadcasting Association (NHK) TV station on the 9th, as of 10:30 on the 9th (9:30 Beijing time), Japan had a total of 4,979 confirmed cases and 105 deaths.
According to statistics from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare on the 8th, 632 people among confirmed cases in Japan have been discharged. Of the 712 confirmed patients on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, 638 were discharged from hospital and 11 died.
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