SNA (Tokyo) — The following stories were reported in the first half of April 2020 by the Shingetsu News Agency.

Rolling Coverage: Covid-19

—Ishikawa Governor Masanori Tanimoto, 74, hungry for local tourism revenues, appeals for locked down residents of Tokyo who are asymptomatic to come and visit his prefecture on the weekends. His appeal is being widely derided on social media.

—More of public is now falling in line with Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike’s appeals to stay home. JR East reports that the number of passengers on the Yamanote Line fell by 70% last weekend as compared to the same period last year.

—Prime Minister Shinzo Abe insists in Diet debate that the current situation does not call for an immediate declaration of a state of emergency. In other discussions, it appears Abe has denounced as “fake news” the reports he will do so this week.

—The Abe government has gone a step further and divided the entire Cabinet into two groups that will meet separately, as a measure to ensure not all ministers go down with Covid-19 infections at the same time. Wider Cabinet seating patterns also implemented.

—Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appears to rule out compensation for bar and nightclub owners: “I understand that many operators are calling for compensation, but it will be difficult for the government to do so.” He says, however, there will be some kind of support.

—Japan Medical Association warns that there is a “medical crisis condition” in the nation, and in some regions there may be a shortage of hospital beds for Covid-19 patients, should the number of infections grow significantly.

—The Abe government to supply two washable face masks per household as part of its Covid-19 relief legislation. This initiative is being widely mocked on social media and elsewhere.

—The panel of experts advising the Abe government on Covid-19 are warning that “drastic countermeasures need to be taken as quickly as possible” and that if the number of patients expands rapidly, the nation’s healthcare system faces potential “collapse.”

—Japan Medical Association’s Satoshi Kamayachi says that “most members” of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s panel of medical advisors believes he should declare a “state of emergency” now and they worry that political leadership will be coming too late to avert the mass epidemic.

—Japan’s National Security Council, created in 2013, adds a team of officials to work on responses to the spread of the coronavirus, belatedly recognizing that disease and epidemics can also be a threat to the Japanese people.

—Tokyo Metropolitan Government extends the cancellation and postponement of city-run events, and closures of public facilities, up to May 6. Previously, these Covid-19 related suspensions were planned to be lifted on April 12.

—Shinzo Abe orders a de facto shutdown of all travel into Japan effective from April 3. Anyone coming from anywhere else in the world will be required to go into quarantine for two weeks. This includes both Japanese and foreign nationals.

—Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who fought his way back politically from his mishandling of the Diamond Princess, is now back in political trouble again with his vague stance on declaring a state of emergency and ridicule over his one household-two masks “Abenomasks” initiative.

—Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike holding another press conference, now wearing a mask. She seems to be gently appealing for the Abe government to declare a state of emergency, and she is telling businesses to begin preparations for a stricter lockdown.

—Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike says that in the event of a stricter lockdown under a state of emergency, only necessary businesses and organizations will remain open, such as grocery stores, banks, and medical facilities.

—One proposal expected to go forward is that Japan’s government will provide a one-time ¥200,000 (US$1,880) payment to less than 20% of Japanese households struggling from Covid-19 economic fallout. Conservative governments still revolting against needed basic income plans.

—The proposal to offer a one-time ¥200,000 (US$1,880) payment to Japanese households struggling from Covid-19 economic fallout has been bumped up to ¥300,000 (US$2,800), though the terms for who qualifies for these payments has yet to be decided.

—By no means accidentally, LDP policy chief Fumio Kishida appears to be the face man for the initiative to put money in the pockets of Covid-19 hit households. He is the man that Shinzo Abe has reportedly decided that he will back to be the next prime minister.

—LDP lawmaker Kimi Onoda arguing fiercely on Twitter that any economic relief provided by the Japanese government must exclude all foreign residents and focus only on those who possess Japanese nationality.

—US Embassy warning: “If US citizens wish to return to the United States, they should make arrangements to do so now… unless they are prepared to remain abroad for an indefinite period… While we have confidence in Japan’s health care system today, we believe a significant increase in Covid-19 cases makes it difficult to predict how the system will be functioning in the coming weeks.”

—Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike begins internet broadcast to residents of the metropolitan area. As she is trilingual (Japanese, English, Arabic), she’s not afraid to communicate directly to foreign residents, unlike most Japanese politicians.

—Immigration Services Agency will extend deadline for three months for foreigners to renew their period of stay, applicable to those whose current status will expire between March and June. The immigration office has been overwhelmed as many foreigners are trapped in Japan.

—The Abe government reportedly planning zero-interest loans for businesses, payable up to five years, but no debt relief, wage support, or rent moratoriums for small businesses. An extended lockdown likely to destroy most small firms without additional measures. Meanwhile, large firms such as airlines, shipping firms, and automakers, may receive direct investments under the Abe government’s Covid-19 rescue package up to a total ¥100 billion (US$930 million). Many of these same firms are donors and backers of the ruling LDP. The global order of socialism for the rich, brutal capitalism for the masses, is not as bad in Japan as in the United States and Europe, but the trend is perceptible here as well. It’s a reflection of the deterioration of democracy and the rise of Establishment oligarchies.

—The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has begun negotiations with some hotels to house coronavirus patients who have mild symptoms or are completely asymptomatic, but still need to be housed outside of the capital’s overrun hospitals.

—Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has declared those working in the adult entertainment industry “unworthy of receiving public funds” and therefore excluded from any Covid-19 compensation programs. Just last year the government was aiming to make Tokyo a nightlife city.

—Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yukio Edano says now is not the time to focus on reducing the consumption tax rate, and thus stimulating consumer spending, but rather to provide support for low-income earners and for businesses.

—Striking how many observers think Tokyoites are ignoring lockdown requests while others think they are obeying. The actual trend seems to be that normal amounts of people are walking around residential neighborhoods, but most are avoiding centers like Shibuya and Shinjuku.

—Today the number of newly discovered Covid-19 cases in the Tokyo Metropolitan District will cross the 100 mark for the first time.

—The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is expediting its acquisition of beds for Covid-19 patients from hotels and other venues, as the regular hospital beds are now full.

—The Nippon Foundation announces it will be establishing 1,200 beds for Covid-19 patients in Odaiba, making use of a gym meant for the Paralympics and the parking lot of the Museum of Maritime Science, at which nine large tents with climate control will be erected.

—The government has called on Japanese firms that make hospital respirators to step up their rate of production, expecting Covid-19 patients will overwhelm the number of respirators available across the nation. However, over 90% of respirators used in Japan are imported.

—“The state is demanding self-restraint. Don’t blame the government for the spread of the infection.” In other words, it’s the fault of the people for not obeying us, not the Abe government! This now-deleted tweet by LDP lawmaker Hajime Sasaki coming in for wide criticism.

—Just as in the case of the Olympics postponement, pressure is building on Shinzo Abe to declare a state of emergency over Covid-19. He seems deeply reluctant to do so, probably because some big business allies still oppose it, but unlikely he’ll hold out many more days.

—Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike on an NHK Sunday morning program: “I think we’ve entered a new situation and a new stage… I want people to think anew about how to protect themselves, protect their families, and at the same time protect society.”

—Mio Sugita, known for her calls to deny LGBT rights, now calling for the Abe government to make sure that Covid-19 relief measures not be accorded to foreign residents of Japan. The Abe government isn’t decided what to do yet.

—Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike says that Covid-19 patients with mild symptoms will begin to be moved out of hospitals and into hotels that the municipal government has secured as of April 7. This will free up hospital beds for more serious cases.

—Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike so frustrated with the Shinzo Abe government that she’s now taken to Twitter to appeal for a national declaration of emergency. She says the legal authority will help support Tokyo’s efforts to encourage people to stay at home.

—Japanese media reports suggest that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has finally been bludgeoned into agreeing to make a state of emergency declaration over Covid-19, which may come as soon as today.

—The tax office has decided to not to strictly observe the (already extended) April 16 deadline for filing 2019 income tax reports. They seem to have decided this isn’t a great time to have lines of people at tax offices trying to meet the new deadline.

—US Forces Japan declares a “public health emergency for the Kanto plains region.” The statement reads: “The virus makes no exceptions based on military or civilian status… it is everyone’s responsibility to do their best to prevent the spread of this virus.”

—Fukuoka Governor Hiroshi Ogawa is concerned that the Abe government will leave his prefecture in Kyushu out of the area covered by the state of emergency. Governor Ogawa believes that he needs emergency powers as well.

—Current reporting suggests Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will limit the prefectures allowed to operate under the state of emergency to Tokyo, Chiba, Saitama, Kanagawa, Osaka, and possibly Hyogo and Fukuoka. It seems he believes Covid-19 will have difficulty crossing prefectural borders. Apparently, the Abe government’s Covid-19 strategy is to wait until confirmed infections in each prefecture reach the point that they are out of control before imposing any serious countermeasures. It likely guarantees a whack-a-mole approach for weeks and months ahead.

—Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announces his intention to declare a state of emergency tomorrow, and that the Covid-19 emergency financial package will be in the amount of ¥108 trillion (US$1 trillion), or about 20% of the national GDP.

—Tokyo Metropolitan Government to ask all schools, karaoke parlors, izakayas, live houses, movie theaters, department stores, shopping malls, sports clubs, etc., to close up shop for the duration of the state of emergency period. Food markets, banks, drug stores remain open.

—Another sign that Shinzo Abe is still failing to grasp the new coronavirus realities is that the national economic package is being designed to stimulate a so-called “V-shaped recovery,” anticipating an clear-cut end to the crisis and a rapid return to business as usual.

—More thoughtful leaders in government and business should be thinking less about how to get back to the old normal, and more about how to adapt to a new normal, as well as about the institutional and technological transformations that will make them more resilient.

—One alarming trend, seen in some other nations as well, is that some of the coronavirus infections are taking place inside hospitals themselves, and that medical staff are disproportionately getting sick, reducing the ability to handle the increased flow of outside patients.

—The exclusion of all adult entertainment industry workers from any Covid-19 economic aid packages has drawn wide criticism that it constitutes “occupational discrimination.” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga confirms, “We would like to review the guidelines.”

—And here comes what we’ve been expecting all along: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe tells the Diet that the Covid-19 crisis provides the reason why the Constitution must be revised; there’s an urgent need to change the balance between the state and individuals in an emergency.

—Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has now formally made the expected state of emergency declaration, along the lines that had been previously reported. It is effective in seven prefectures through May 6.

—Prime Minister Shinzo Abe rejects calls to compensate businesses asked to shut down as a result of the state of emergency: “It would not be fair if we compensated only those companies that will be called on to halt operations,” Abe said.

—In his press conference, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe specifically asks residents of the seven “state of emergency” prefectures not to travel to other prefectures to escape the restrictions. Abe continues to paint a picture of the Covid-19 crisis heavily laden with an optimism not justified by the known facts. Rather than describe a long and hard struggle, he infers that a medical cure will soon be found and normality return in weeks.

—Despite being left out of Abe’s state of emergency zone, Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki tells prefectural residents to stay at home as much as possible. He also calls for eliminating unnecessary travel between Okinawa and the main islands.

—The Toyoko Inn Tokyo-eki Shin-Ohashimae has become the first hotel to house Covid-19 patients with weak symptoms. This was arranged by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to take pressure off of overcrowded hospitals.

—Prime Minister Shinzo Abe makes clear that he has no intention of resigning even if his coronavirus countermeasures fail entirely to stop the spread of the infection. His own political fate, he suggests, is not tied to the success or failure of his public health policies.

—The Health Ministry panel of experts backs the notion that what is needed is to reduce person-to-person contact by 80%, and then the Covid-19 crisis can be contained within a month. 70% won’t do it… Must be 80%… So they say…

—Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura makes the essential point today: “If the administration is asking businesses to voluntarily restrain their activities, then financial compensation for their economic losses is the other side of that coin.”

—Despite appeals from prefectural governors, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga reiterates that businesses will not receive compensation for suspending operations, even though they are doing so at the government’s request.

—The clash between the Abe government and Yuriko Koike’s Tokyo is now out in the open. The Abe team is trying to stop Koike from strictly enforcing Covid-19 business closure requests and to massively limit their scope. It was a fake Abe state of emergency declaration. Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura has even asked Tokyo to delay requests for business closures for two weeks, or half the total period of the supposed state of emergency. They blocked Koike from issuing her orders to many businesses for a closure.

—The governors of both Aichi Prefecture and Kyoto Prefecture planning to declare their own “state of emergency” whether or not they are backed by the Abe government. They believe they should not have been left out of Abe’s declaration this week.

—Some analysts looking at the ¥108 trillion Covid-19 stimulus package suggest that it involves a lot of accounting smoke-and-mirrors, and the real size of the fresh aid to businesses and the people may be only about 15% of what the Abe government has advertised.

—As is often the case, the common sense of the Japanese people exceeds that of their conservative leaders. Mainichi Shinbun survey finds that 70% of ordinary Japanese think the state of emergency declaration came too late, while only 22% think the move came at the appropriate time.

—Most of the opposition parties are calling for what amounts to one or another version of Universal Basic Income for the duration of the Covid-19 crisis. It’s the obvious best solution, but it remains heretical under the tenets of neoliberal economic theory.

—Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga says that the central government has made no decisions in regard to Aichi Prefecture’s request to be included under the state of emergency declaration.

—The Abe government winning the battle against Yuriko Koike, forcing the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to weaken its measures to enforce business suspension. New guidelines expected to say its okay to go to bars and restaurants until 8pm (when Covid-19 comes out to play!)

—Emblematic of the Abe government’s approach to the Covid-19 crisis is that the man appointed to implement the “state of emergency” declaration is Yasutoshi Nishimura, state minister of economic revitalization. It is the business lobby, not health authorities, at the fore.

—There are now only two Japanese prefectures that have yet to confirm any Covid-19 cases: Tottori and Iwate. Until this evening, Shimane Prefecture was on that list as well, but a teenage girl in Matsue city has been confirmed with the infection.

—Department stores, izakayas, barber shops, and hardware stores are among the facilities that Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike wanted to close, but which the Abe government insists must remain open through the state of emergency period.

—Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike’s preferences are also much tougher than other prefectural governors, so much so that Kanagawa Governor Yuji Kuroiwa declared her “out of step.” A key issue remains the government’s unwillingness to compensate businesses for the closure orders.

—Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura defies the national government and issues his own state of emergency declaration for his prefecture. Although his declaration is not backed by legal force, he asks local businesses and institutions for their cooperation. Governor Omura: “I strongly request that residents refrain from going outdoors except for reasons necessary to maintain their lives. And when you are outdoors, take special care to maintain proper behavior such as social distancing.”

—Having received permission from the Abe government, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike declares six categories subject to closure requests: entertainment facilities, universities and schools, amusement facilities, gathering and exhibition facilities, and commercial facilities.

—Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike announcing that the closure requests are effective as of 11 am on April 11. It appears that the state of emergency is essentially being declared a second time since it was a confused fiasco the first time with businesses unsure what to do.

—The Tokyo Metropolitan Government to provide a one-time payment of ¥500,000 to small businesses forced to suspend operations due to the state of emergency. The national government is yet to make clear the terms of its business support package.

—Bereft of credible national policies, some local governments taking matters into their own hands. Kawaguchi city, Saitama Prefecture, announces that it will provide ¥100,000 in aid to its small businesses suffering from Covid-19 related income disruptions.

—Finance Minister Taro Aso suggests that the national government has little need to support businesses that are struggling due to the Covid-19 crisis because Tokyo, and presumably some other local governments, will offer some support out of their own budgets.

—The Mainichi Shinbun explains Abe’s weak “state of emergency” provisions by citing an unnamed former Cabinet member telling them: “The national government may apparently be unable to do anything because industry groups are pressuring them.” It is as we thought.

—Although the “state of emergency” was supposed to put policymaking in the hands of the governors, the Abe government apparently made it clear that they would retaliate financially against any prefecture that fell too far out of line in implementing business closures.

—The evidence is now in that the Abe government has decided to water down the “state of emergency” measures to appease its big business and industry group political-financial backers, and then just hope against hope that the infection doesn’t spread out of control.

—One factor that has apparently exercised little or no influence on Abe government decision-making as regards Covid-19 is any attempt to learn from the experience of overseas nations. They are behaving as if Japan were the very first government to face these issues.

—Tottori Prefecture records its first coronavirus infection case, leaving Iwate Prefecture as the only one of Japan’s 47 prefectures yet to confirm any resident Covid-19 infections.

—Economic Revitalization Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura declares that infection “has not yet reached the stage of rapid growth” in Aichi, Kyoto, and Gifu prefectures, and therefore he rejects their petitions to come under “state of emergency” legal status.

—Asahi Shinbun reveals that executives of four department store chains were called into the Ministry of Economy building and upbraided for being “selfish” for their decision to suspend operations in line with Governor Koike’s policy. The Abe government actively sabotaged closures.

—Tokyo Metropolitan Government to provide business hotel accommodation rent-free to homeless people pushed out onto the streets by internet cafe closures. Tokyo continues to act much more urgently than the national government.

—Economic Revitalization Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura again urges governors of the seven “state of emergency” prefectures not to be too strict in requesting business closures. Barber shops and beauty parlors also classified as “essential for people’s lives” according to him.

—Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki and Sapporo Mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto agree to declare a renewed “state of emergency” outside of the framework of the national government’s “state of emergency.” It will be effective from April 14 to May 6.

—Emergency medicine groups issue statement pointing to potential “collapse” of the medical system due to Covid-19, including many clinics turning away suspected coronavirus cases, lack of equipment, slow rate of testing, staff illness, etc.

—Finance Minister Taro Aso rejects plans to reduce or eliminate the consumption tax, although this has been widely proposed as an economic relief measure against Covid-19. The Finance Ministry seems determined to give up as little revenue as possible during this crisis.

—The pendulum quickly swings! Ishikawa Governor Masanori Tanimoto goes from inviting Tokyoites to visit his prefecture some days ago, to announcing his own Covid-19 “state of emergency” to last until May 6. This declaration too not being recognized by the Abe government.

—JR East reports that the number of passengers on its shinkansens and special express trains have dropped by over 40% since the state of emergency was declared in seven prefectures.

—Concerns being expressed that the Covid-19 crisis could make Tokyo’s economic dominance even more pronounced. With the national government largely sitting on the sidelines, only Tokyo has the financial resources to help its small businesses. Other prefectures can’t compete.

—The Covid-19 crisis has brought Japan’s legal system to a near standstill, with most trials being postponed. Only a handful of urgent cases are still proceeding according to schedule.

—Prime Minister Shinzo Abe personally rejects any compensation payments to businesses forced to suspend operations due to the Covid-19 crisis: “No other country in the world compensate businesses for lost work,” he tells lawmakers.

—House of Representatives holds plenary session with the number of lawmakers in attendance deliberately reduced by about half. This was an unprecedented move to prevent the spread of Covid-19 infection.

—Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai urges the government to make a one-time payment of ¥100,000 (US$940) to all “kokumin” (citizens) as a Covid-19 relief measure. It’s unclear whether he means to include or exclude resident foreigners.

—Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi backs LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai’s idea to provide “kokumin” (citizens) with a one-time ¥100,000 (US$940) Covid-19 relief payment. He meets with the prime minister and requests such a policy. Treatment of foreign residents unclear.

—As of this morning, there were 8,915 confirmed Covid-19 cases in Japan and 175 confirmed deaths. The numbers have been substantially rising in recent days, but the feared exponential spread of the coronavirus isn’t apparent in the official figures quite yet.

—Health Ministry connected experts led by Hokkaido University Professor Hiroshi Nishiura have projected that if Covid-19 rages out of control in Japan, it could lead to 850,000 seriously ill patients of which about half may die; a potential death toll over 400,000 people.

—US Forces Japan, which issued a Covid-19 public health emergency on April 6 for the Kanto plain area, have now extended their warning to all of Japan.

Politics

—Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has reportedly told Shukan Asahi in an interview that it is now evident that Shinzo Abe has been lying about the Moritomo Gakuen scandal and that he needs to take responsibility and to resign now.

—Responding to Junichiro Koizumi’s call for him to resign, Shinzo Abe declares that he is here to stay: “Right now I am doing my best to address infections of the new strain of coronavirus. I want to make it clear I do not have the slightest intention of quitting.”

—Protect the Nation from NHK gives up on the idea of running former Moritomo Gakuen head Yasunori Kagoike as its candidate for Shizuoka No. 4 District. Instead, they will run Ken Tanaka, who has exact same name as the opposition party candidate, Ken Tanaka.

—Protect the Nation from NHK leader Takashi Tachibana, now facing prosecution, indicates that he intends to throw his hat in the ring and again challenge Yuriko Koike for the post of Tokyo Governor. Election Day is July 5.

—Mayor Shinji Kosaka, Akiota town, Hiroshima Prefecture, admits receiving a ¥200,000 payoff directly from the hands of former Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai to support his wife Anri’s election to the House of Councillors.

—Sawako Naito, at age 36, is elected mayor of Tokushima city, and becomes the youngest-ever female mayor in Japan. Moreover, she beat a 64-year-old male incumbent mayor.

—Trouble in the CDPJ: Reports are emerging that many lawmakers inside the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan have become dissatisfied with their founder-leader Yukio Edano, who has become virtually invisible during the Covid-19 national crisis. When party backbenchers proposed a policy of reducing the national consumption tax to 5%, with the support of a majority of the party’s lawmakers, Yukio Edano and his leadership team simply ignored the proposal, sparking increased discontent. Yukio Edano seems to have become convinced by centrists that the CDPJ needs to propose policies that would easily be accepted by bureaucrats, rather than make bolder progressive appeals that might capture public support. It’s an old failing returned.

—Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Takashi Takai under fire after it is revealed that he entered a sex club in Kabukicho on April 9, flouting the national “state of emergency” declaration. Someone in his own party apparently blew the whistle on him.

—Lawmaker Takashi Takai has applied to leave the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan after he was caught entering a Kabukicho sex club during the supposed “state of emergency.”

International

—The Abe government has been making arrangements to help some Japanese nationals trapped in foreign countries abroad to get back home via special flights. This was done for Poland and will shortly be done for Japanese nationals trapped in Laos.

—Information Blackout! The Pentagon has asked Japan not to report the number of Covid-19 cases on US military bases, and Defense Minister Taro Kono has immediately complied by refusing to make any comments on the number of US military cases in Japan.

—In an unprecedented move, the Defense Ministry has demanded access to Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, to conduct an on-site investigation over a toxic spillage of PFOS. The Defense Ministry also makes a formal protest to US Forces Japan.

—Three whaling ships departed Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, for the region’s first commercial whaling mission since 1988. The Abe government’s withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission last summer set the stage for the resumption of these activities.

—Tokyo Organising Committee CEO Toshiro Muto admits it is possible the Olympic Games will have to be cancelled altogether if the Covid-19 crisis is not under control next year: “We sincerely hope that come next year mankind will manage to overcome the coronavirus crisis.”

—Japan’s National Institute for Defense Studies warns that, now that the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is gone, Russia could deploy intermediate-range missiles in the Russian Far East, including in the Northern Territories, with the capacity to strike Japan.

—Mainichi Shinbun reports that US-Japan talks are quietly proceeding on the deployment of intermediate-range missiles in Japan. Kyushu and the Nansei Islands are likely locations. As well as US missiles, there’s the idea of Japan eventually deploying its own such missiles.

Economy

—Covid-19 related teleworking seems to be convincing many Japanese that using seals (hanko) has become an “outdated custom” imposing unneeded burdens on workers. Some companies have been forcing workers to visit the office merely to hanko paperwork. This is being questioned. One additional barrier to adopting teleworking is that most Japanese companies have simply never invested in the computer infrastructure to make it possible. Many workers have no laptops they can use, and their bosses have little or no knowledge about computers in any case.

—Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Akio Mimura asks for the Abe government’s support to secure laptop computers and communications equipment for midsize companies now struggling to adopt teleworking.

—Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry survey finds that most (54.4%) small and medium sized Japanese firms in Tokyo still have no intention of allowing teleworking. 26% say they now have some teleworking and 19.5% say they are studying the possibility.

—Goldman Sachs is projecting a steep contraction of more than 6% (or 25% on an annualized basis) in Japan’s GDP for the April-June period of this year.

—International Monetary Fund projects that the Japanese economy will shrink by 5.2% this year under the impact of the coronavirus and other negative factors.

—National Tax Agency introduces a six-month alcohol-sales license that will, for the first time, allow the sales of alcoholic drinks for takeout and delivery by restaurants and bars. This is meant to be a Covid-19 economic relief measure for these businesses.

—Tokyo Shoko Research announced that, as of April 11, the Covid-19 crisis has been cited as triggering the bankruptcies of more than fifty Japanese firms, with hotels and restaurants especially hard hit.

—Nissan Motor, which was already in crisis due to its self-inflicted wounds over Carlos Ghosn and its resulting utter lack of a business strategy, now seeking almost US$5 billion in loans to survive the Covid-19 downturn.

GreenTech

—KDDI and SoftBank have announced that they are teaming up on a ¥500 million venture called 5G Japan Corporation that will promote the development of 5G infrastructure in Japanese rural areas. The venture is owned 50-50 by the two mobile operators.

—Toyota Motor and China-based electric automaker BYD have announced a partnership to jointly develop battery-powered vehicles. The name of the new company is BYD Toyota EV Technology, and it will be a 50-50 venture.

—Rakuten now officially Japan’s fourth mobile phone service operator, launching its full-scale services. In order to break into the market, Rakuten’s monthly fees for unlimited calls and data services in some urban areas are less than half that of its rivals.

—Mizuho Financial Group said it will stop financing new coal power projects and end all loans to the industry. Unfortunately, they are giving themselves thirty years to actually implement these policies, with a deadline of 2050.

Society

—Tokyo’s half-hearted indoor restaurant smoking ban takes legal effect as of today. It is expected to mark some degree of progress in reducing public smoking, though far from sufficient to truly protect nonsmokers and others, according to health experts.

—Traditional yakuza crime syndicates continue their meltdown, and may soon become a thing of the past. Their estimated 87,000 members in 2004 had become 28,200 and falling by the end of 2019. Police crackdowns have been wearing down their ability to make money.

—The Tokyo-based Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan has acknowledged in an internal investigation that there were at least 16 cases of sexual abuse of minors from the 1950s to the 2010s that took place in its churches or in facilities run by convents.

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