05 July 2021 (Monday) – Coronavirus Digest from Japanese Morning TV News Part 1 (of maybe 1): Headlines and (yesterday’s) numbers
See photo captions for stories
Photo 01a
Did you see Lisa?
Yes I saw Lisa
Is that why…You’re.. angry?
I wasn’t angry
Maybe a little?
Not even maybe
Must be the weather
Now don’t be a baby
SY: Stone cold classic
Dean Friedman and Denise Marsa – Lucky Stars (with lyrics)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKhXthAzzxo
I used to think that I liked this song ironically, but yesterday I realized I just loved the song. The album turns out to be pretty good too.
And if you have time, his Wikipedia page is a a fascinating read too:
Photo 01b
Japan covid-related topics from NHK’s 7am news bulletin today:
– [Voices] within the government looking for an “extension of Manbo” [in Tokyo+3]
Landslide news dominated of course.
In other news, we had the results of the Tokyo assembly election and what it may mean for the Olympics and the general election.
And the Biden administration did not meet its vaccination target for July 04.
Photo 02
[Taken from the NHK website]
1485 cases confirmed yesterday
[up vs. 1283 for the same day last week. FYI: 1308 for the same day two weeks ago.]
[Aug 22 1485 Battle of Bosworth Field: Henry Tudor’s forces defeat English King Richard III during last battle in the Wars of the Roses. Richard is killed, the last English monarch to die in battle.]
37 out of 47 prefectures reported cases yesterday.
No new daily prefectural records appear to have been set.
Tokyo was 518
[well up vs. 386 for the same day last week.]
Osaka at 88
[vs. 96 for the same day last week]
Joining Tokyo and Osaka in triple figures were all of Tokyo’s neighbors:
Kanagawa 226
Chiba 141
Saitama 124
[Tokyo+3 account for 1009, over two thirds of today’s total]
The number of positives at immigration testing was 9.
Photo 03
[Taken from the NHK website]
Only 5 deaths confirmed yesterday, for a total of 14860.
The total of current active serious cases stands at 496, down 5 on the previous day [and falling below 500 for the first time in about 3 months]
Total recorded cases at 807402.
Recovered cases at 774139 (up around 1700 on the previous day).
[strokes calculator]
Total active cases are at 18403 (down around 220 on the previous day).
Percentage of active cases as a percentage of the grand total is 2.27%
Photo 04
Tokyo’s 518 is their 15th straight day of being higher than the corresponding day of the previous week.
Photo 05
Koike says that fever consultations [to the *hot*line] continue to be over 1000 a day [and there is generally a direct correlation between this number and the eventual number of positive cases (although there may be more fever consultations prompted by the vaccinations these days?)]
Photo 06
Someone in charge at the Tokyo metro government says, “The increase in infections is showing no signs of stopping, and we are in a situation where infections are spreading through the community.”
Photo 07
The current deadline for Okinawa’s SofE and the Manbo measures for 10 other prefectures are due to expire on July 11.
Photo 08
With the notable rise in new cases in Tokyo+3, the central government is concerned about a resurgence in infections.
[Other channels, and even NHK, have had people on to say this is the start of the 5th Wave. A doctor on a commercial channel this morning said that 70% of new cases were for people in their 20s to 40s and that they’d just hospitalized their first teenager.]
Photo 09
Sources within the government are increasingly of the opinion that an extension of Manbo in Tokyo+3 will be unavoidable.
Photo 10
The government will decide what its measures will be after consulting the panel of experts on Thursday this week (July 8).
[I never found an appropriate place to bring this up, but the Diet actually went into summer recess a couple of weeks ago (for a couple of months!) despite the main opposition party calling for a 3-month extension to the session. This may be one reason we haven’t heard much from the panel of experts lately – they are not being questioned in parliament, for example.
But it is interesting (though possibly just a coincidence) that Omi hasn’t really been in the public eye since that press conference where the panel openly expressed concern about the Olympics.]
JA: The Olympics is the new Voldemort, that can’t be named
SY: Abe is Voldemort, and Suga is Professor Quirrell
Photo 11
Speaking of which, it has been reported that in the event of Manbo being extended or a State of Emergency in the capital, the relevant parties now feel that it may be necessary to revise the cap on spectators (of half capacity up to a maximum of 10,000 people in principle).
Photo 12
But according to government sources, proposals such as having no spectators at nighttime events [after 9pm, I heard], or in the big stadiums.
[This happens to be what the Panel of Experts were urging two weeks ago: IF the Olympics HAS to go ahead, it should do so without spectators.]
Photo 13
It is expected that the five stakeholder groups for organizing the Games will meet this week to discuss options in the light of government Manbo measures for Tokyo.
[The Mainichi says this could happen as early as Thursday on the day Bach arrives in Japan.]
Photo 14
US now, and Biden had set a target of having 70% of the adult population at least first jabbed by Independence Day.
Photo 15
But as of July 03, that percentage stood at 67.1%
[The report mentioned low vaccination rates for young people and the African American community.]
HL: Just to be clear (because I read about this over the weekend): this is not due to a problem of distribution or supply, just folks who don’t want to get vaccinated (and/or have distrust in the medical system). We will likely see a similar plateau in a few months here in Japan once it’s easier for everyone to get vaccinated.
JY: Yes, because basically anyone can be vaccinated any time and anywhere in America. It is really unfortunate.
Photo 16
Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election results now, and the LDP/Komeito coalition failed to secure a majority.
Photo 17
Results:
Tokyoites 31 seats
LDP 33
Komeito 23
JCP 19
DPJ 15
So LDP came out on top.
Photo 18
But the LDP/Komeito coalition (right) fell short of the 64 seats needed for a majority.
Photo 19
The “Tokyo First Party”, originally founded by Koike, came in second with 31 votes.
[Koike had seen in hospital for most of the campaign and she did not at first openly show her support for Tokyo First. She only called out a cheer for them three days before the election and made a campaign stop for this party member, Araki, just before the election, and then to congratulate her just after.]
Photo 20
Within the government and the LDP, they are taking this result as a sign of voter disgruntlement with the government’s covid measures and a sign of anxiety regarding the Olympics [the more left-wing parties had a strong showing]…
Photo 21
With some going as far as to call it a “de facto defeat”, raising concerns for the upcoming general election.
Photo 22
However, as far as the Olympics go, an NHK poll taken on the day of the election indicated 26% in favor of cancelling and 10% in favor of postponing, while 21% supported holding the Olympics under the current conditions, 38% favoring no spectators, and 5% wanting the Olympics without the spectator restrictions. [The way these were ordered seems a little odd, but ok…]
Photo 23
[NHK Tokyo political chief clearly does not like having to answer questions from a woman.]
Photo 24
With the Olympics less than three weeks away, there are not many choices left for the timing of holding the general election .
The Paralympics end on Sept 05, LDP’s president’s term ending on Sept 30 and the House of Representatives term ends on October 21.