updated on 20.11.2020
A survey of six countries conducted by the strategic communications firm Kekst CNC found that Japan’s government was ranked the lowest by its citizens for making appropriate preparations for the next wave of COVID-19. In analyzing the results, the company noted that “Japanese respondents are feeling economic unease and are strongly dissatisfied with government support for businesses.”
The survey was conducted in mid- to late September in six countries (Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Sweden, and the United States) to gauge citizens’ evaluations of government responses to the COVID-19 crisis, targeting 1,000 people aged 18 or older in each country. (Nippon.com)
updated on 30.10.2020
The government will consider a system to make it easier for people with no COVID-19 symptoms to undergo polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the coronavirus, economic revitalization minister Yasutoshi Nishimura has said.
source: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/10/25/national/japan-pcr-tests-coronavirus/
(updated 09.10.2020)
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Thursday (10/8) that Japan will contribute more than $130 million to an international framework to ensure that developing countries have fair access to coronavirus vaccines.
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While the state of emergency in Japan involved relatively light restrictions compared with other countries, a higher level of risk aversion within the population meant that observance of the rules was generally higher. Japan also acted very early to take measures such as closing schools.
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Oct8,2020
Japan’s virus countermeasures spanning January to July — during which time the country saw its first major wave of COVID-19 — were “belated but produced good results,” according to a report published Wednesday by the Asia Pacific Initiative, a Tokyo-based global think tank founded in the wake of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
Insufficient disaster preparedness, disjointed messaging from public officials, a stubborn resistance to raising testing capacity as well as political friction between national and municipal leaders seemed to expose the shortcomings of the “Japan Model.”
And yet, using only voluntary countermeasures and “soft lockdowns” that bore no punitive measures, the country did “the best it could with what it had,” the report said.
sources: https://www.schroders.com/en/insights/economics/what-the-data-tells-us-about-japans-response/
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/10/08/national/japan-coronavirus-response-late-effective/
(updated 12 April 2020)
- Japan passed two stimulus packages, worth US$19.6 billion, which include
- US$15 billion loan programs for small businesses
- US$4 billion for mask production and assistance to nurseries and elderly care facilities to avoid outbreak
- Financial support for working parents who take care of children since school suspension
- Migrant workers and international students are not included in this package. Around 1.7 million of Japan’s labor force are migrants. More than 300,000 hold temporary trainee visas.
- Meanwhile, the Japanese government has contributed US$6 million to the International Organization for Migration's COVID-19 response, particularly on public health responses in the following countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar and Pakistan.
Sources:
japan-stimulus-highlight-15bn-small-biz-loans