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Mar 19, 2020

Is Japan Going to get worse before it gets better?

Watching the news and seeing other countries basically shutting everything down makes me wonder if Japan will eventually have to do the same. I know the current numbers are not showing anything that series (if they are even accurate), but in where I live, I almost feel like no one is taking it seriously. What do you guys think?

ReishiiTravels

ReishiiTravels

Teacher, Traveler, Dancer -
Currently living in Gifu -
I love Japan, dance, cats, food, and fashion!

9 Answers



  • genkidesu

    on Mar 19

    I've been wondering this too. I was curious if Abe is trying to downplay how bad things are here - that could honestly be the skeptic in me, but it does make you wonder. I've heard that a lot of illnesses are just being classified as pneumonia right now, rather than being tested for COVID19 (who knows if that's just rumor), but I do wonder if things would be more pronounced if it wasn't for the Olympics later this year. My home country (Australia) announced this morning that our main airline Qantas has literally canceled all international flights...every single one. They only have about 500 or 600 confirmed cases there right now on my last check, so to take such drastic action shows the level of concern they have about it. I personally do think it's going to get worse here, too. Not trying to be a negative Nancy, but I think that there will probably be further restrictions to try and lessen any potential spread.

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  • KamaT

    on Mar 19

    It's a good question. Japan's graph of new coronavirus cases certainly looks to be fairing a lot better than that of other countries, especially those in Europe right now. As with other peoples' thoughts though, it almost seems to me to be a little too good to be true. Still, the situation in Hokkaido seems to be improving and the Chinese gov't are reporting no new cases in Wuhan so perhaps there could be a positive outlook. That said, according to this article, the peak in Japan might yet be to come: https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/03/c4e6f5bead7d-japan-has-yet-to-hit-peak-in-coronavirus-infections-kyodo-study.html I know what you mean though, you look at what's going in other countries, particularly in Europe right now, I you wonder if that's coming our way soon. Honestly, I have no idea.

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  • genkidesu

    on Mar 20

    @Tomuu I would like to be optimistic about China's "no new cases" approach too, but unfortunately their cover up of this whole situation until it was out of control leads me to believe their government is just pushing the narrative they want to push. But that's most governments, isn't it!

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  • TonetoEdo

    on Mar 20

    I keep my eye on Japan COVID-19 Coronavirus Tracker - https://covid19japan.com/ But the data may not indicate the prevalence of the disease because testing isn't widespread, according to Safecast - https://safecast.org/2020/03/covid-19-testing-in-japan-the-situation-and-ramifications/ Who knows? Last night, the government panel determined that measures be eased or extended based on local conditions - https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20200320_02/ The Japanese versions of the article said there is potential for explosive (bakuhatsu-teki) rise in infections. For now, wash hands, minimize contact with people, and then wash hands again.

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  • Eli

    on Mar 24

    Either Japan somehow managed to contain the virus better than other countries or we will see a sudden increase in cases in a few weeks. With a lot of people ignoring the request to cancel hanami gatherings I think it will be the latter but I am not expert and probably even experts don't know for sure.

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  • genkidesu

    on Mar 25

    Saw on Twitter this morning that there was a record daily rise in coronavirus cases here (+72), so I still feel we're nowhere near the peak of it.

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  • KamaT

    on Mar 25

    Mmm. Seems to be getting worse then. Tokyo Gov. Koike asking people in Tokyo to stay in over the weekend. I've been reading plenty of soundbites on Twitter that now that the Olympics has been postponed the authorities will be getting more draconian in the preventative policies they put in place, like they have been holding back in order to put on a positive face for the Summer Games. Not so surprised by this although I think some of the "conspiratorial" tone is probably taking to too far. Either way though, looks like things are going to be getting more restrictive for a bit.

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  • JapanRamen

    on Mar 26

    Seeing how the park was very full yesterday with children running around and gathering at the same jungle gym, it is hard to see that it will get better as the way it is now...

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  • edthethe

    on Mar 27

    no one seems to be taking it seriously here even though we have confirmed cases in town. It terrifies me because I don't doubt there will be an explosion and then everyone will panic.

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