Japan determined to control outbreak with new measures

日本決心通過新措施控制疫情

SMEs subsidized for mask production, Abe calls for school shutdown

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As the confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Japan reached 241, more measures were implemented to constrain the outbreak.

On Feb. 12, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) announced that it would subsidize domestic mask production, aiming to lift the current output by 150%. The authorities asked more than 120 manufacturers to increase their production: large enterprises are subsidized for up to two-thirds of their new investment, while small and medium-sized enterprises are granted up to three-quarters, reported Asahi Shimbun.

Despite the authorities' aim to bring up the monthly mask production to between 600 and 700 million units, a shortage still prevails. Critics point their fingers at internet resellers as well as Chinese who are buying out the supply across the country. They are often found queuing in the early morning hours to buy up as many masks as the stores will allow.

The resellers are exploiting the fact that Japan does not ban the export of facial masks. A Chinese woman living in Kyoto claimed she raked in over 20 million Japanese yen (US$185,039.56) by selling facial masks to China.

For this reason, the METI has been requiring e-commerce platforms in Japan to forbid the sale of high-priced masks since Feb. 26. However, after a meeting on Feb. 21, the Japanese government chose to continue to allow the export of masks even though this is causing domestic shortages, according to Newtalk.

On Feb. 27, in fear of a worsening outbreak, the Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe called for the closure of all schools below the college level from March 2, bringing about an early start to the spring break which would have begun on March. 25. The move drew widespread criticism from dual-earner families for whom child care will be a problem once schools are shut down.

Not all local governments decided to follow the order either: the Kanazawa Mayor Yukiyoshi Yamano announced that all public middle and primary schools would remain open until March 24 in acknowledgment of the increased strain that would fall on so many families in the event of school closure.