Japan has been seen as one of the best countries in terms of both economy and one of the best places to visit in the world, but due to Japan being located in East Asia, right next to China, it has had its fair share of Covid-19 cases.
Despite Japan being one of the most developed countries in the world, they struggled severely with cases due to several socio-political problems. The first being that Japan has the biggest metropolitan area in the world and it doesn't help that it is also very densely populated so the Covid-19 cases can spread very easily and quickly. Japan also has a very young population, combine this with having lots of night life in the worlds biggest metro area and this is a recipe for disaster. The final and most significant reason for the Covid-19 Cases being so rampant is the lack of Covid-19 Vaccines, and the Japanese people not wanting to get vaccinated as they do not trust the Western medicine and they don't have access to it.
Due to the severity of the Covid-19 cases, the Japanese government implemented a strict travel ban and several state of emergencies. No foreigners were allowed entrance or allowed to leave the country, only Japanese citizens could come back and you needed government documentation. The Covid-19 state of emergencies were pretty simple as well, you had to wear masks, and businesses had to close and were compensated by the government. When cases declined there was more of a soft lock and you could do more things and go places, the state of emergencies were national at first but then only applied to certain prefectures with the most cases.
Since the state of emergencies, Covid-19 cases have declined, more than half the population of Japan is vaccinated, 80% of all Covid-19 cases are from people who did not take the vaccine. Due the drop in Covid-19 cases, the government is thinking of lifting the state of emergencies placed in certain prefectures, but this isn't without concern. The government does agree that if they do see a more sudden rise in cases, it could overwhelm the healthcare system and put it into a crisis; but as of now it seems things are once again getting back to normal and Japan is getting ready to open its borders.
SOURCES:
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-approaching-end-covid-19-emergency-most-areas-health-minister-2021-09-24/
https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-tokyo-coronavirus-pandemic-asia-japan-8049258656473799e491604fefe44e79
https://apnews.com/article/business-health-japan-coronavirus-pandemic-4b409cf1a663759d6a434fe1faf0cc2d
3 comments:
I am curious as to what changes the minds of the Japanese people on the vaccination? In your first paragraph, you expressed that a part of the huge influx of Covid-19 cases was due to the lack of the Covid-19 vaccines and their lack of trust for Western medicine. In your third paragraph, you expressed that over 50% of the Japanese population is vaccinated. I am interested as to why the beliefs of the Japanese people have transformed so much.
This is a great example for the rest of the world to deal with covid 19 and my question is the same as Madyson asked about, what changed the mind of Japanese people to get a vaccination, was it the increasing cases of covid, or was it the increasing awareness about the positive externality of covid vaccine?
I do not want to sound ignorant by any means, but one of the comments you made was how Japan is densely populated. In terms of the US, they are more like one of our cities when it comes to structure and life-style. If this is the case, how is it that the majority of people have not already had covid? It surprises me that covid hasn't already infected most inhabitants of Japan since it has been about a year and a half of being exposed to the virus. However, you did say later that almost half the population is vaccinated which is likely contributing heavily to these statistics, too.
Post a Comment