Source: Global Times
[ Global Times Special correspondent in Japan Yue Linwei Global Times Reporter Fang Qing] Starting from the 11th, the Japanese government has significantly lifted the ban on various entry restrictions set by the new crown pneumonia epidemic since the outbreak, and launched a "travel support policy" in 46 local administrative regions across the country except Tokyo. At present, Japan's "seventh wave" epidemic has entered its final stage, but the Japanese government's passive anti-epidemic performance during the epidemic has been repeatedly criticized by the public. Faced with the sharp increase in the number of people entering the country after opening the country's door, there are still many opposition voices in Japan, worried that this move may lead to the epidemic situation being severe again.
population "excess death"
According to Kyodo News , statistics released by the National Infectious Disease Research Institute on the 8th showed that in the first half of this year, the number of additional deaths in Japan nationwide was estimated to reach 17,000 to 46,000, setting the highest since the epidemic in Japan. The additional death toll is the data obtained by subtracting the number of deaths predicted on past data based on the actual death toll of the same period. In addition, data shows that the actual death toll in Japan remained high this year, especially in February-March during the peak of the "sixth wave" epidemic, the actual death toll per week was thousands more than the forecast upper limit.
In 2021, the epidemic dominated by delta strain spread in Japan, causing the country's total death toll to exceed 1.43 million, the year with the largest number of deaths since World War II. Affected by the "seventh wave" epidemic caused by the Omickron strain , the number of domestic deaths in Japan has increased significantly since July this year, and the total death toll in 2022 may break the record in 2021. At the same time, the average life expectancy of in Japanese also decreased in 2021, which is the first time that the average life expectancy of Japanese people has decreased since the 2011 East Japan earthquake caused the increase in deaths.
Medical chaos occurs frequently
While the number of infections continues to increase, the endless vaccination incidents in various parts of Japan have also aroused dissatisfaction among the people. According to Japan's " Daily News " report on the 8th, a medical institution in Kishiwada City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan recently mistakenly vaccinated 145 people with the expired new crown vaccine . Similar situations occur from time to time. As of now, there have been many misunderstandings in Japan, including repeated use of vaccine syringes, expired vaccination, and wrong vaccination targets.
Regarding the current anti-epidemic performance of the Japanese government, Japan's Hokkaido News published an editorial criticizing that in the "seventh wave" of the epidemic, new infection cases increased explosively, the medical supply system became tight, and cases of patients who died without adequate medical treatment continued, and the Japanese government's response measures were obviously in a passive position. The number of deaths in this round of epidemic has hit a new high in a row, once exceeding 300 per day. Problems such as the shortage of testing kits and the incomplete anti-epidemic system have been highlighted again. According to reports, Japan will face the situation of the "eighth wave" of epidemic this winter and the superimposed epidemic of influenza and . In response, the government cannot respond hastily and should seriously formulate epidemic prevention measures.
"The Worst Time"
In order to promote economic recovery, Japan relaxed entry control measures related to the new crown pneumonia epidemic, canceled the previous daily limit on the number of people entering the country, and restrictions on individual foreign tourists. Local airports and ports in Japan will also resume reception of international flights. While Japan is opening its doors again, the epidemic situation in Japan is still relatively serious. According to the Japanese NHK website, data released by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare on the 10th showed that about 13,000 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Japan that day. Against the backdrop of the current epidemic situation not optimistic, Japanese public opinion questioned the government's practice of relaxing entry restrictions.
Japanese "Modern Daily" website asked on the 8th: Starting from the end of September, with the decline in temperature and humidity, the number of new COVID-19 infections in Europe has surged. Will Japan also encounter the " COVID-19 autumn"? According to statistics from WHO , Japan's new infections from September 26 to October 2 were 307,000, second only to Germany and the United States, ranking third in the world. Since mid-July, Japan has escaped the world's most disgraceful record of 10 consecutive weeks of new infections, but the prospects are still not optimistic.
"Modern Daily" analyzed that although lifting entry restrictions will help restore tourism industry damaged by the epidemic, Europe is in a period when the new coronavirus is spreading again, with the average daily number of new infections in the United States in seven days being about 40,000. Against this background, the Kishida government decided to lift entry restrictions, which can be said to have chosen a "worst time point". Japanese clinical infectious disease expert and visiting professor of at Showa University School of Medicine, Yoto Nigi said: "In fact, autumn is a season when the virus is prone to survival in the natural environment, and the virus is prone to spreading and spreading. So it is important to worry that as overseas personnel enter and move, the new coronavirus will flow into Japan."
