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Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Japan, the Japanese government has attempted to orchestrate a coherent nationwide response to the public health crisis, but with mixed results. In the following, I examine the government’s COVID-19 response from January 2020, when the first cases were reported, to March 3 of this year, when Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide announced another extension of the state of emergency for the Tokyo region. After a brief description of the legal framework for government action in such a crisis, I offer a chronological account of steps taken by two successive administrations, the Abe administration and the Suga administration, and the obstacles they encountered at the local level owing to systemic constraints on the prime minister’s powers in responding to the pandemic crisis.
Tokyo 2020 Stakeholders to Discuss Spectators 02/26/21
(ATR) A high-level meeting next week could provide some clarity with what to do about spectators at the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.
How many fans will be allowed in the National Stadium? (IOC Media)
Kyodo News reports the meeting, scheduled for March 3, is expected to include IOC president Thomas Bach, IPC president Andrew Parsons, Tokyo 2020 president Hashimoto Seiko, Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko and Japanese Olympic minister Marukawa Tamayo.
The virtual meeting is supposed to iron out a timeline for decisions to be made on whether to allow overseas visitors for the Games and how many fans will be allowed in the stands at each venue.
The Diplomat has removed paywall restrictions on our coverage of the COVID–19 crisis.
Two people wear masks as they visit the Japan Olympic Museum located near the New National Stadium, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020, in Tokyo.
Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong
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With seven months remaining until the postponed Tokyo Summer Olympics, there is growing public skepticism over whether the global sporting event can be held as authorities struggle to clamp down on the explosion of COVID-19 infections across the country.
The Olympics have been cancelled, but never postponed before. In a New Year’s statement Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide said he is determined to host the games as a symbol of world unity. But COVID-19 cases in Japan show no signs of easing and the question remains how to host the Olympics safely.
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It was a tough year for many in 2020, but dictionary publisher Sanseidō selected the cutest of distressed voices for its word of the year.
Pien, which took off in popularity among young Japanese people, represents the sound of crying to express mild sadness or disappointment. In online usage, it is frequently paired with the puppy eyes of the “pleading face” emoji ().
Unlike the “Words of the Year” contest or the ranking of the most searched keywords online, dictionary publishers aim to pick terms that will stick around. In a year dominated by COVID-19, words related to the pandemic stood out, but Sanseidō chose to make a less obvious selection. Dictionary compiler Ono Masahiro commented as follows.