Programs to address a pressing domestic policy issue, the falling birthrate, are running into an all-too-familiar problem: finding the money to pay for them.
The government stirred up a hornet’s nest with its plans to revamp the outspoken Science Council of Japan by involving a third-party panel in the body’s member selection process.
The government on Feb. 10 eased its long-standing recommendations on mask wearing, approving new rules that will basically leave the decision up to each individual from March 13.
The government will downgrade COVID-19 to the same level as seasonal flu from May 8 but likely retain other measures, such as using public funds to pay for vaccinations, at least for a while longer, sources said.
The head of an expert panel advising the government on policy responses since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic griped that all three administrations he worked with were prone at times to drawing up antivirus measures without consulting specialists of contagious diseases.