{"id":16952,"date":"2022-01-09T15:27:25","date_gmt":"2022-01-09T23:27:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=16952"},"modified":"2022-01-10T07:29:38","modified_gmt":"2022-01-10T15:29:38","slug":"why-covid-keeps-being-seen-as-a-foreign-disease-in-japan-uncritical-reportage-in-the-mainichi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.debito.org\/?p=16952","title":{"rendered":"Why COVID keeps being seen as a “foreign” disease in Japan: Uncritical reportage in the Mainichi of Shizuoka Mayor blaming Omicron on “foreign nationals at work”, claiming it’s not “community transmission”. Wait, let’s parse that."},"content":{"rendered":"

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Hi Blog. Debito.org has talked about how Japanese officialdom keeps trying to construe COVID as something “foreign”, i.e., something exogenous that affects foreigners more than Japanese people (see\u00a0here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>,\u00a0here,<\/a>\u00a0here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, and here<\/a> for example). \u00a0To the point where there’s even a research institute (Riken) speculating that Japanese are genetically less susceptible to COVID. \u00a0Seriously<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And that unscientific attitude is reflected in Japanese government policy that treats anyone with a Japanese passport as somehow less contagious than somebody with a foreign passport, regardless of individual vaccination status. (That of course means that a porous border<\/a> and more lax quarantine rules<\/a> for VIPs and “Japanese” entrants — including those without Japanese citizenship but WITH Japanese blood<\/a> — get in and spread the disease anyway. \u00a0Omicron is in Japan to stay, brought in by Japanese, no matter how much you’re trying to blame it on, for example, the US Military<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

It’s gotten to the point where even the WHO has decried these policies as unscientific:<\/p>\n

(Kyodo News Dec 2, 2021<\/a>): \u00a0Michael Ryan, head of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Program, said of Japan’s ban on new entries of foreigners, “Epidemiologically, I find it hard to understand the principle there. Does the virus read your passport? Does the virus know your nationality or where you are legally resident? \u00a0Our concern here is that we apply public health principles, not political principles, to selecting measures that are used to control the spread of diseases. The idea that you can put a hermetic seal on most countries is frankly not possible.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But one other factor in all this gaijin-bashing is an uncritical media, even from foreigner-friendly media outlets like the Mainichi Shinbun. Where they report unconfirmed statements from a local mayor that people had contact “with foreign nationals” (“kaigai no hito<\/em>“, or “overseas people” in the original Japanese), and scare the public all over again.<\/p>\n

Article follows, then my comment:<\/p>\n

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\nCentral Japan prefecture’s 1st omicron case linked to contact with foreigners at job: mayor
\nDecember 28, 2021 (Mainichi Japan), courtesy of JK
\n https:\/\/mainichi.jp\/english\/articles\/20211228\/p2a\/00m\/0na\/004000c<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

SHIZUOKA — Following the first confirmed coronavirus omicron variant case in the central Japan city of Shizuoka in Shizuoka Prefecture on Dec. 27, Mayor Nobuhiro Tanabe said at a press conference, “He (the patient) is confirmed to have had contact with foreign nationals at work, and community transmission is unlikely.”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

According to the Shizuoka Municipal Government, the patient was earlier confirmed infected with the coronavirus and has mild symptoms. Genome analysis by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases revealed he was positive for the omicron variant. Two people who had had close contact with the man tested negative for the virus.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The patient has no recent history of overseas travel, and came into contact with foreign nationals at work. The city’s public health center explained that it determined the route of infection was strongly suspected to have been via contact at work.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The man received his second coronavirus vaccine by August. He developed symptoms on Dec. 23, was tested the following day, and hospitalized on Dec. 25. He was confirmed positive for the omicron variant the next day.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Other than the two people deemed close contacts, 12 of the 13 people involved in the same work tested negative. One still awaits their results.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

(Japanese original by Hideyuki Yamada, Shizuoka Bureau)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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\n\u6bce\u65e5\u65b0\u805e 2021\/12\/27
\nhttps:\/\/mainichi.jp\/articles\/20211227\/k00\/00m\/040\/344000c <\/a>
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\n\u6fc3\u539a\u63a5\u89e6\u8005\u4ee5\u5916\u306e\u4ed5\u4e8b\u95a2\u4fc2\u800513\u4eba\u306e\u3046\u306112\u4eba\u306e\u9670\u6027\u3092\u78ba\u8a8d\u30021\u4eba\u306f\u691c\u67fb\u7d50\u679c\u3092\u5f85\u3063\u3066\u3044\u308b\u3002\u3010\u5c71\u7530\u82f1\u4e4b\u3011<\/p>\n

ENDS<\/p>\n

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COMMENT<\/strong>: A few more simple questions needed to be asked of Mr. Mayor before his speculation got passed through by the Mainichi editors, and allowed to filter into the public sphere:<\/p>\n