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

Rolling Coverage: Covid-19

—Governor Denny Tamaki has declared his own “state of emergency” over the spread of Covid-19 in Okinawa Prefecture to last from August 1 to August 15. This is the first prefecture to break with the do-nothing approach of the Abe government.

—Policymakers’ thoughts are beginning to turn to the four-day Obon holiday which starts on August 13. Should there be an appeal to Tokyoites not to return to the countryside, as is customary, due to Covid-19 infection concerns? The question is being debated.

—Tokyo Metropolitan Government moving forward with its initiative to create its own mini-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), aiming for October. Yuriko Koike’s administration continues to energetically innovate and communicate while the Abe government sits inert.

—The number of newly confirmed Covid-19 cases this past week were more than double that of the peak of April first wave. Nevertheless, the smaller number of critically ill patients and fatalities strongly suggests that the infection was massively underreported in April-May.

—JNN poll finds unsurprising result that the Japanese public does not approve of the Abe government’s do-nothing policy on Covid-19. Only 26% give the government high marks for coronavirus policy, while more than double, 61%, think the issue in being mishandled.

—Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga indicates that the Abe government will not be asking the public to refrain from traveling around the nation during the four-day Obon holiday. “We are just asking them to be very cautious,” he says.

—Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks on the Covid-19 crisis: “We’re staying on alert while closely watching the situations in Osaka and Okinawa, as well as in Tokyo. We’ll proceed with balancing social and economic activities.” Again, nothing more specific than that.

—Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura becomes the second leader of a prefecture to openly break ranks with the Abe government. He declares a renewed Covid-19 “state of emergency” to run from August 6 to 24.

—Prime Minister Shinzo Abe repeats his government’s recent mantra that “we are not in a situation that requires an immediate declaration of a state of emergency” and says it’s okay for people to visit grandparents for the Obon holiday, so long as they are careful.

—Taiwan reimposes a 14-day mandatory Covid-19 quarantine on visitors from Japan. For over a month the quarantine had been reduced to 7 days, but Japan’s second wave of infections has provoked a return to the tougher measures.

—Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, while she is not declaring a Covid-19 state of emergency like some other governors, is directly contradicting them on Obon travel advice: “I’d like people to interact with their family over the phone or online.”

—Despite its declaration of a state of emergency a week ago, Okinawa Prefecture today records its first day with more than 100 new Covid-19 infections.

—The government’s Covid-19 subcommittee is beginning to map out the conditions that should be met in order to declare a new national state of emergency, but also making clear that the Abe government may feel free to ignore the guidelines if it chooses to do so.

—Health Ministry survey finds that more than 85% of hospital beds in Okinawa Prefecture are now occupied as the number of Covid-19 patients expands. However, only 20% of the prefecture’s critical care beds are currently occupied. Other prefectures have lower rates.

—This past week recorded by far the most new Covid-19 cases since the pandemic began, though the rate of growth of newly confirmed cases did slow considerably. We will have to see if this means the peak of the second wave is coming soon, or is it just a statistical blip. In terms of the number of Covid-19 deaths, the second wave is only getting started, and we are starting to see at least several new fatalities per day. This number appears likely to grow substantially in the coming weeks, based on the patterns of the first wave in Japan.

—Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura admits that Covid-19 is putting Okinawa’s healthcare system in danger and that local conditions exceed benchmarks for declaring a “state of emergency.” But, as expected, the Abe government wants no declaration and even continues “Go To Travel.”

—Okinawa Prefecture reports 159 new Covid-19 cases today, smashing beyond the 1,000 total cases level and confirming that, on a per capita basis, this is now the epicenter of Japan’s pandemic. It’s also where most of the US Marines spread the infection on the bases.

—Prime Minister Shinzo Abe finally verbalizes in public the view that his consistent (in)actions have long made clear: “Given its impact on employment and daily lives, we must make efforts to avoid [a state of emergency declaration] as much as possible.”

—Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s lack of leadership on the Covid-19 issue has become so extreme that even Komeito head Natsuo Yamaguchi is publicly appealing to the prime minister to hold a real press conference and explain his pandemic policies.

—The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Japan since the beginning of the pandemic has crossed 50,000 people as of today.

—Japan and Singapore moving toward easing bilateral travel restrictions in September. Like the Vietnam agreement, it seems that a superior human class called “business travelers” will be given travel and quarantine privileges which other mere mortals will be denied.

Rolling Coverage: Yasukuni Shrine Visits

—Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi becomes the first Cabinet minister in four years to visit Yasukuni Shrine on August 15, the anniversary of Japan’s defeat in the Pacific War.

—Minister for Okinawa and the Northern Territories Seiichi Eto also visits Yasukuni Shrine.

—Education Minister Koichi Hagiuda also visits Yasukuni Shrine. Clearly, whatever discipline that had been exercised by the Abe Cabinet in recently years on Yasukuni visits has now broken down. Rightists don’t care how Koreans feel, and want to stick it to China too.

—Prime Minister Shinzo Abe himself has still been trying to arrange a visit to Japan by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Today’s Cabinet-level Yasukuni visits may put an end to that. LDP rightwingers are happy to sabotage these plans, and Abe himself is very weak politically.

—Internal Affairs Minister Sanae Takaichi becomes that fourth Cabinet minister to visit Yasukuni Shrine. This one is no surprise as she has always been one of the most vociferous ruling party lawmakers about making such visits.

—Former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama releases statement: “It is an honor to continue to receive high praise from people and governments around the world… Humbly questioning our past is what brings glory to Japan.” Sankei Shinbun answers by suggesting Murayama hurt national interests.

Politics

—More striking than the lowish 35.4% support for Shinzo Abe’s Cabinet is the 62.2% non-support rate. This means that 2/3 of the Japanese public now wants this guy gone. It’s an open invitation for an opposition figure to rise, but so far no one credible is on the horizon.

—Japan’s opposition parties do seem to have won one “victory” of sorts. It appears that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has become so afraid of their verbal criticism of his do-nothing Covid-19 response that he is refusing to open a new Diet session. Abe barely hanging on to power.

—Even Komeito head Natsuo Yamaguchi is tiring of Shinzo Abe’s lack of leadership: “Citizen worries are growing day by day, as infections have spread to regional areas. The government should exercise leadership and send out information on what measures are needed right now.”

—Jiji Press quotes “a person close to Abe” as saying, “Now we’re in trouble. The administration is being blamed for everything.” They are not expecting any public approval turnaround, and Abe’s political nine lives may have already been spent.

—Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga and LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai appear to be drawing closer to one another, possibly with the aim of controlling the political succession. Suga may want to become prime minister and Nikai to hold his current post for years.

—Three Japanese businessmen have been arrested by prosecutors for allegedly offering large cash bribes to witnesses to falsely testify that lawmaker Tsukasa Akimoto is innocent of bribery charges in the 500 Dot Com casino bribery case.

—Democratic Party For the People will apparently split into two parts between those who want a merger with the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and those who oppose it. The party has a total of 62 lawmakers, 40 of them in the House of Representatives.

—Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo) to “require” that all lawmakers fielded by its member labor unions must join the new merged leading opposition party, guaranteeing that only a smaller number of lawmakers will remain with the rump Democratic Party For the People.

—Jiji Press reports that “up to 150 lawmakers” may join the new merged leading opposition party. That’s interesting because there are only 153 lawmakers in the CDPJ and DPFP combined. This strongly suggests that the new party will soon dominate the opposition benches.

—Several days after the Hiroshima and Nagasaki anniversaries, the Abe government announces that it will appeal a court ruling awarding state health care benefits to people exposed to radioactive “black rain.” Many of these people expected to die of old age during the appeal.

—Financially-desperate Hokkaido town Suttsu becomes the first municipality in Japan to openly admit that it may be willing to host a deep-underground disposal site for high-level radioactive nuclear waste in exchange for state subsidies to the local government.

International

—President Vladimir Putin has signed into law an amendment that equates calls for the alienation of Russian territory with extremism. The implication is that anyone in Russia advocating Japan’s position in the territorial dispute over Southern Kurils is committing an extremist act.

—A rally was held in Nemuro (Hokkaido) on August 2 to demand the return of the Northern Territories. After Russia’s constitutional amendment to ban territorial concessions, Japanese former islanders (average age 85) are feeling a sense of crisis.

—Japan has officially acknowledged that no visa-free exchange trips will be possible this year to the Southern Kurils. These trips began in 1992. Since then 18,000 Japanese have visited the disputed islands and 8,000 of the Russian islanders have visited Japan.

—A South Korean district court has initiated procedures to begin seizing assets of Nippon Steel over its use of forced labor during the Pacific War. Nippon Steel says it is immediately filing an appeal. South Korea Foreign Ministry: “We are open to an ongoing discussion about reasonable ways to resolve this issue while respecting the judicial decision and realizing the rights of the actual victims, along with taking into account our two countries’ bilateral relations.”

—Jiji Press quotes an unnamed “senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official” as declaring in regard to the Nippon Steel asset seizure case: “If the assets are converted into cash, that will spell the definitive end of Japan-South Korea relations.” Not sure what that means.

—South Korea marks the International Memorial Day for Comfort Women. President Moon Jae-In says, “The government will do its best to map out realistic and practical methods so that the victims’ courage and dedication can get repaid with the restoration of dignity and honor.”

—As rightwing Japanese Cabinet ministers pour oil on diplomatic fires with their Yasukuni visits, South Korean President Moon Jae-In was striking a conciliatory tone: “Our government is ready to sit face to face with the Japanese government at any time… I believe that joint efforts by Japan and South Korea to respect an individual’s human rights will become a bridge of friendship and future cooperation between the two countries.”

—Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi says that foreign nationals teaching at international schools will be given special priority in being allowed back into Japan, a step toward abandoning the inexplicable policy of not allowing permanent residents to return to their homes. One point is now clear: The ban on permanent residents returning to their jobs and families in Japan is not just the policy of some Justice Ministry bureaucrats, but it has now been examined and endorsed by the top level of the Shinzo Abe government.

—Japan marks the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. In response to Covid-19 infection concerns, this year’s memorial ceremony is much scaled down, involving fewer dignitaries and without the crowds of onlookers.

—International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons leader Beatrice Fihn: “Japan knows the impact of nuclear weapons… yet is willing to do the same thing to other people… They are complicit in it and they are really ignoring hibakusha and the lessons from hibakusha.”

—Anyone flying a drone within 300 meters of a US military base in Japan, including journalists taking images, for example, of the construction of Henoko airbase in Okinawa, will soon face up to one year in prison, the Defense Ministry announces.

—Jiji Press reports that the Defense Ministry may cancel its plans to buy three Global Hawk surveillance drones from the United States, worried that its initial estimated costs are rising and that it may not actually be very useful for Japan’s defense needs.

—The Abe government to provide aid to explosion-hit Lebanon: 1,800 blankets, 400 tents, and 400 water tanks. If that’s it, seems rather stingy for the world’s number three economy. Abe’s regime may be angry about Lebanon’s role in the Carlos Ghosn case.

—Abe government offering a ¥36.6 billion (US$345 million) loan to Vietnam for it to purchase six patrol ships. This is in line with Japanese policies attempting to “contain” China by boosting the military capabilities of nearby nations.

—Japan Communist Party Chair Kazuo Shii: “The world must not allow the Chinese leadership to violently oppress Hong Kong. Agnes Chow must be immediately released and the oppression ended! Let us raise our voices from all around the world!”

—Trending on Japanese Twitter today is the hashtag “I protest against the arrest of Agnes Chow.” It seems that she made a larger impression in Japan at the popular culture level than had earlier been apparent.

—The arrest of Agnes Chow had such a strong impact in Japan because she is a fluent Japanese language speaker (which she learned from watching TV shows), as well as her fresh and innocent image. She has been called “the Goddess of Democracy” in the Japan media.

—The pristine turquoise waters off the coast of Mauritius are being polluted by fuel spilling from the MV Wakashio, a Japanese tanker that has run aground. Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth has declared a “state of environmental emergency” and called for international help.

—The dead bodies of sea creatures, birds, and other wildlife are beginning to appear amidst the oil spill created in Mauritius by the grounded Japanese ship MV Wakashio. There is fear that the ship may break up and release much more oil into the turquoise seas.

—Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth makes clear that his island nation will seek compensation from Nagashiki Shipping for the environmental damage created by the MV Wakashio. The Abe government has been largely silent about the oil spill disaster.

—The worst case scenario has been avoided as Mauritius reports that the large quantities of oil remaining in the grounded MV Wakashio have been safely removed. A second, possibly even larger oil spill will therefore not occur.

Economy

—Teikoku Databank reports that the number of Japanese companies that have gone bankrupt as a direct result of the Covid-19 crisis now exceeds 400 firms. Restaurants, hotels, and fashion outlets appear to be hardest hit.

—Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, visiting London, says he has reached an effective agreement with British International Trade Secretary Elizabeth Truss on a trade agreement to come into effect in the post-Brexit era at the beginning of next year.

—It largely slipped under the media radar that the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) has elected Masako Obata is its new president, the first woman to lead a national trade union federation. Zenroren is the Japan Communist Party-affiliated federation.

—The JR Kyushu Hohi Line has resumed full services more than four years after it was knocked out by the April 2016 Kumamoto Earthquakes.

GreenTech

—JNN poll finds the Japanese public quite keen for the government to crack down on the Chinese mobile phone app TikTok, with 63% supporting some kind of restrictions on the app and only 17% opposed to the notion.

—Kanagawa Governor Yuji Kuroiwa announces that the prefectural government has suspended its account on TikTok, citing concerns that the app may leak personal information. This may be a precursor to some action by the Abe government.

—JR Central President Shin Kaneko says that extending the Chuo Shinkansen service to Osaka by 2037, as had been planned, is now unlikely to be realized due to the delay in Shizuoka Prefecture construction.

—Evidence growing that a more serious embrace of teleworking by Japanese firms could significantly ease the population drain from the rural areas to Tokyo. Many young people would prefer to stay in their hometowns if gainful employment were possible there.

Society

—Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau admits that a foreigner in detention has tested positive for Covid-19 infection. As he has been in detention since June 2019, there’s no doubt he acquired it inside the facility. Rights groups have been warning about this scenario.

—Health Ministry survey finds that the male smoking rate has declined to 28.8%. For women it is 8.8%. However, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has confirmed for the first time that some Covid-19 infections have taken place in confined smoking areas.

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