Reporter丨Guan Junran Special Composition丨Wang Zhan Editor丨Duan Wen
The first major test in 2020 was so difficult that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe caught him off guard. As the COVID-19 epidemic expands, he has to cancel a series of activities to warm up the Tokyo Olympics and postpone the Liberal Democratic Party conference.
However, the Japanese government's "crisis handling" of the epidemic has been constantly criticized. Recently, Japanese cabinet officials and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare were successively exposed to have confirmed infections among civil servants. The rumor that " Abe was taken away to quarantine" was once on the hot search list on the Internet. Although Abe then made public appearances and the rumors were self-defeating, the recent situation of Abe's cabinet is indeed not optimistic.
Source: Japanese "Modern Business" magazine
Preparing for the Olympics. Can Abe complete his wish list for 2020?
At the beginning of the new year of 2020, Abe made a wish list for 2020 in his New Year's greetings. In addition to promoting reforms in economic fields such as social security and his persistent Japanese constitutional amendment, the preparation for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics this summer will be included. Abe said: "Now we need more motivation to face the future and build a stronger Japan in the new era of Reiwa."
"2020 is a very important year for Japan in the new era of Reiwa. We must welcome the Tokyo Olympics, and use it as a driving force to drive Japan's economic development." Former Japanese House of Representatives , former member of the Japanese House of Representatives , told the Phoenix Weekly reporter: "For the Abe cabinet, facing the stagnation of Abe Economics , the Moritomo Kazuki Academy scandal, the 'Cherry Blossom Viewing Club's storm and the doubts of cabinet members, 2020 was originally a turning point to eliminate national dissatisfaction."
Four years ago, Abe made a brief debut at the closing ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil. He became Mario in the classic Japanese game Super Mario, which impressed people. Japanese media previously reported that they were discussing Abe's plan to make another appearance at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics in July this year, and Abe has plans to show off as Mario again.
hosting the Tokyo Olympics is the fourth arrow of "Abenomics", intending to use the Olympics to copy the miracle 56 years ago. In 1964, Japan held the Olympic Games for the first time and took advantage of the Olympic opportunity to usher in the post-war economic recovery. This Olympics is also of great significance to Japan. In the 2011 East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima nuclear leak accident, Japan wants to use the Tokyo Olympics to show off Japan's post-earth revival. Abe even set the starting point of Japan's domestic torch relay on Fukushima: "Show the world the attitude of Japan's revival from the earthquake."
But as the new coronavirus epidemic spreads in Japan, the Tokyo Marathon, which was originally the Japanese men's trial for the Tokyo Olympic marathon, shrunk from 38,000 to 200. On February 21, the Japanese government decided to cancel the "host town summit" of the Tokyo Olympics. It is reported that the host town summit, originally scheduled to be held in , Tokyo on February 22, is an exchange event prepared by the Japanese government for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
A recent online survey in Japan showed that 62.4% of netizens called for the cancellation of the Olympics directly, and only 10.5% of netizens agreed to the Tokyo Olympics as scheduled. Former World Health Organization adviser and Japanese virus expert Kenichiro Oshima was also not optimistic about the prospects of the Tokyo Olympics in a recent interview. In his opinion, if the current epidemic development level, Japan will not be able to host the Olympics.
However, on February 21, Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee President Yoshiro Mori said: "I will insist on not wearing a mask until the end (the Olympics are held)." This sentence became a hot search in Japan that day. On the same day, the Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide emphasized at a press conference that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will be held as scheduled. "The Japanese government will hold a conference that is safe and safe for athletes and spectators in order to effectively promote the preparations." This is the second statement after the International Olympic Committee's "Tokyo Olympics will be held as scheduled" and the "impossible postponement" of Toshiro Muto, Secretary-General of the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee.On February 15, the rehearsal of the torch relay for the Tokyo Olympics was held in Tokyo. Photos of 10 torchbearers including the popular Japanese actress Ishihara Saki Mi appeared in major media.
At this critical moment, the mayoral candidate for the Conservative Party of London, England, said on February 20 that if the coronavirus epidemic forces the Olympics to change the hosting country, then London is willing to take over the hosting rights from Tokyo and hold this sports event. He posted on Twitter: "We have infrastructure and experience. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the world may need us to come forward." Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike responded on February 21 that London candidate Bailey's statement about "London took over the Tokyo Olympics" was "very inappropriate."
Source network
Abe was not quarantined, but was criticized for eating pufferfish
"Confirm! Abe was taken away by a large number of guards in quarantine, and Kyodo News broadcast was temporarily terminated. White House: It's a problem now!" "Shizo Abe has been quarantined and observed!" A Japanese reporter told the Phoenix Weekly reporter that he has received such fake news every day recently and was asked about Abe's situation. "Abe is quarantined" also once made it to the hot search list.
, but Abe has made public appearances recently and has been interviewed. On February 20, he attended a meeting on Japan's monthly economic report and later accepted interviews from various media. During the interview, Abe also talked about the death of two new coronary pneumonia-infected people on the Diamond Princess cruise ship: "I am silent for them from the bottom of my heart and express my condolences to all the families."
The rumor comes from a confirmed news. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga revealed at a press conference on February 18 that 10 reporters from Japan Kyodo News were asked to quarantine at home because they were riding a chartered car driven by a confirmed patient with COVID-19. According to relevant sources, one of the quarantined female reporters is responsible for interviewing Shinzo Abe on a daily basis and is also responsible for interviewing the secretary. If it is transmitted to the secretary, there is also a risk that it may be transmitted to Abe.
Although Abe appeared in public and the rumors were self-defeating, as the epidemic spread, some of Abe's recent actions have still aroused the dissatisfaction of Japanese netizens. On February 19, Abe went to his hometown, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and met with 7 puffer fish wholesalers. While eating pufferfish, he praised it for its crispness and deliciousness. Japanese netizens criticized: "Is it time to eat pufferfish now? You still have the heart to eat pufferfish!" "There is no sense of crisis. It's hard to say when the epidemic will continue. There will be plum rain and typhoons after pneumonia. Is there really no problem with the Olympics?" "People on the cruise ship, new coronavirus pneumonia, you still have many things to explain. Is it time to eat pufferfish?"
Due to the impact of the new coronavirus epidemic, the party congresses of major Japanese parties have been affected. The Liberal Democratic Party evaluated that large-scale gatherings should be suspended and decided to postpone the Liberal Democratic Party Congress on March 8. According to the original plan, on March 8, more than 3,000 members of the Liberal Democratic Party and local MPs across the country should attend the party congress. At the same time, the National Democratic Party held an extraordinary general affairs meeting on February 18 and decided to significantly reduce the scale of the Democratic Party Congress on February 22, and the venue was also changed from a hotel in Tokyo to a Democratic Party Headquarters.
On February 20, when Abe made a public appearance for an interview, a staff member of the Japanese cabinet secretary and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare confirmed that he was infected. It is understood that the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, who was confirmed to be infected with the novel coronavirus, is a 40-year-old male who worked on the Diamond Princess cruise ship on February 12. The infected staff member of the cabinet is a 530-year-old man from Saitama Prefecture, who has been working on the ship since February 11. The two have been hospitalized for treatment.
January 18th Liberal Democratic Party members' liaison meeting was held. Source News Agency
"Cough, that, cough, sorry, I can't do this, it's too much to cough like this, I'm so sorry." On the morning of February 18, Japanese Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Kato Katsunobu was introducing the "Diamond Princess" cruise epidemic, and he did not wear a mask throughout the whole process and coughed continuously. On February 16, he also kept sniffing and coughing continuously during an interview with the Japan Broadcasting Association (NHK). He also did not wear a mask at the time and clenched his right hand in a fist-like manner to cover his mouth.He coughed continuously in public and covered his nose with his hands, and was criticized for setting a "worst demonstration."
Abe's cabinet's "crisis management" has been criticized
0 The Japanese government has not disclosed the information about whom the aforementioned confirmed infection has been exposed to.
On February 21, at the parliamentary deliberation meeting, MP Yoshiki Mo Matsu Yoshiki questioned and said, "Did this confirmed Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare official attend a cadre meeting of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare? Have you ever been to the parliament?" Minister Nao, the official deliberator of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, replied, "We will balance the public health interests and personal information protection to consider the disclosure of information. Other information involves personal information, we will not publish it."
Mo Matsu Yoshiki questioned, "Do you think it's okay to not publish official positions and areas of responsibility? If this confirmed official has come to Congress and attended these meetings, it will cause problems to Congress." After questioning, Nao revealed that the confirmed staff had contact with the deputy ministers and officials of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare at work, "but when they contacted, the deputy ministers, government officials and confirmed officials all wore masks."
Other members of Congress present shouted loudly for this: "Have you come to Congress before? This should be easy to answer!" Congressional deliberation was interrupted for a time.
Japanese media used the title " Nagata-cho chaos!" (Nagata-cho: the location of the official residence of the Japanese Prime Minister) to summarize the chaotic "crisis management" of Abe's cabinet. Criticize why he did not inspect all Japanese people who returned home on a chartered flight in Wuhan? On January 24, Tokyo and Osaka held a crisis management countermeasures meeting and established an emergency countermeasures group. Why did the Japanese government set up a countermeasures group on January 30 after the first Wuhan chartered flight and returned to China and the three people were confirmed to be positive?
However, former Japanese House of Representatives Masato Koike still affirmed the response of Abe's cabinet: "With limited ability and information to deal with the new coronavirus, although the response measures taken are not sufficient, it is worthy of recognition. Now that the epidemic in Japan is expanding, the government has shifted to a certain extent from preventing the expansion of contagiousness to preventing the increase in the number of severe patients. During this period, the Japanese government is working hard to carry out close and rapid cooperation with autonomous institutions and medical institutions across the country."
Behind the criticism of "Prime Minister Abe's lack of crisis management capabilities", is the internal contradictions of Abe's cabinet. Japanese media analyzed that the inability to coordinate smoothly between provincial and ministerial departments and ruling parties made it difficult for Katsunobu Kato, the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare, to deal with infectious diseases, to take measures in advance.
A political reporter in charge of running the official residence of the Prime Minister said that the unsuccessful communication between Abe and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga was also one of the main reasons: "The cracks remained in 2019. Now the Japanese regime has two opinions: "Abe takes the team" and "Suka Yoshihide takes the team." In the previous reorganization of the Abe cabinet, Yoshihide Suga allowed him to be close to him to the cabinet, and Kazuhide Kawai, the Minister of Justice Minister, to enter the cabinet, but both stepped down due to suspected violation of the Public Office Election Law. Another close confidant Prime Minister’s assistant and Izumi Yoshino also received criticism for the emergence of women’s problems.
At present, the suspension of schools across Japan has been included in the scope of discussion by the Japanese government. Chiba A teacher at Muzhang Benxiang Middle School in the Prefecture was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus. Mayor Chiba revealed that the teacher is mainly responsible for the second-year junior high school students, and close contacts need further investigation. The school will temporarily suspend classes on February 25 and 26. As early as the 2009 new flu epidemic, the Tokyo Board of Education closed the school for four days when more than 10% of the school students were absent. Relevant personnel from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare told Japanese media: "Just in case, the school should be prepared for response as soon as possible."
And the pressure Abe faces is far more than just in Tokyo or Japan. Israel, South Korea, Thailand, Bhutan, Solomon, Kiribati , Samoa , Tonga , and Micronesia 9 countries have called on their citizens not to go to Japan due to the COVID-19 epidemic in Japan.
