[KYODO] A Glimpse into Japan’s struggles to win COVID-19 Battle

By Noriyuki Suzuki

Prone to earthquakes and typhoons, Japan has been enhancing its capability to respond to such natural disasters over the years. In the face of the novel coronavirus, however, the country looked ill-prepared to cope with the invisible. The first case of infection was confirmed on Jan. 16, setting off months of government efforts to contain it with the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics more than six months away at the time. I had a growing sense of anxiety, similar to what I felt when I heard about the hydrogen explosion at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on March 12, 2011, on my way to one of the regions in northeastern Japan ravaged by the massive earthquake and tsunami a day earlier. With many unknowns, there seemed to be more questions than answers. But as a news agency Kyodo had to report accurately and quickly based on what we knew, amid increased public interest and concern. Japan had somehow avoided an explosive surge in coronavirus cases and it was not until early April that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency, asking -- rather than ordering -- people to stay at home and requesting business suspensions. By then, it was a new routine for me as a reporter covering the prime minister’s office to wear a face mask, wash my hands frequently and use alcohol and other disinfectants available. Journalists attend a press conference held by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the premier’s office in Tokyo on April 17, 2020, while keeping their distances from others to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. Around the time when the state of emergency declaration was made, the government started asking all people entering the prime minister’s office, including journalists, to have their body temperatures checked by thermographic cameras. Social distancing became the new normal to lower transmission risks, which meant a limited number of reporters -- often one per media outlet -- allowed in to physically attend press conferences by the prime minister, the top government spokesman and Cabinet ministers. For better or worse, I have witnessed a greater shift towards online pressers and briefings, with more time spent online as the scope of our COVID-19 coverage expanded. It is the golden rule to meet and talk in person with sources to get close to the truth, but the viral outbreak also made it necessary to take precautionary steps and choose alternative to face-to-face meetings if requested. More people apparently became open to giving interviews on Zoom and Skype than before. The past months have seen a dramatic turn of events -- from the arrival and quarantine of the Diamond Princess cruise ship with over 3,700 crew and passengers from various countries to a one-year postponement of the Tokyo Games and the declaration of the state of emergency. Tokyo Station’s countdown clock shows 122 days as the number of days until the Tokyo Olympics when the event was decided on March 24, 2020, to be postponed for about one year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Abe administration scrambled to hit the right note on policy steps, only to see public discontent grow and approval ratings for the Cabinet slump, as shown in media polls. Although the coronavirus pandemic has yet to subside globally and a government review of its response is pending, it has already laid bare a host of challenges facing Japan. Risk communication is one of the areas that need improving as limited access to accurate information, especially in languages other than Japanese, can do more harm than good in times of crisis. Some improvements were made on this front over the course of roughly six months since the first case was confirmed in Japan. Still, Japanese officials acknowledge that more needs to be done as Tokyo prepares to host the Olympics and Paralympics in the summer of 2021. Solving what some have called Japan’s “mystery” -- the country’s relatively low numbers of confirmed cases and deaths -- will be an important task, after criticism that limited testing masked the reality of the spread of COVID-19. Japan’s focus on tracking clusters, easy access to medical care under the universal health insurance system, and heightened awareness among the general public of hygiene are now viewed by health experts as the main contributors to keeping the numbers low without turning to hard lockdowns. As Japan has embarked on the difficult challenge of striking the right balance between keeping the spread of COVID-19 in check and reopening the economy, I am keenly aware of the need to gather up-to-date information and combine it with deeper analysis that can provide insights into the coronavirus era and beyond. Visitors disinfect their hands at Tokyo Skytree on June 1, 2020, as the tower reopens after being closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Social and business activities are reopening in phases following the May 25 lifting of a state of emergency across the nation.