What do you get when you combine a fast-moving virus that pops up suddenly, hundreds of different news sources reporting on the issue from different points of view, and a general public that is quick to panic in an attempt to sustain themselves? You get the situation that the whole world is currently facing in the wake of the Coronavirus. It's not necessary to go over the virus' characteristics again; we all know them by now. I don't need to be another news source throwing information in people's faces without following up with hopeful news, but I do think that it's important to be informed about the Coronavirus issue and how it's affecting people and their ways of living.
The Covid19 virus hasn't affected my family and me too badly. We're under new restrictions imposed upon us by the state government, but none of us has actually caught the virus. We're staying safe while trying not to panic. While we are paying attention to the news in a effort to stay well-informed and while we are praying for those people who have caught Covid19, we are not overly concerned about this virus. It has had an influence over our lives and we will continue to pay attention to it until it dies down, but we are trusting that it is nothing the world can't handle.
My family has not been affected much, but many people around the world have been, including thousands of people in the country of Japan. With all the news flying over the airwaves from so many different news sources in hundreds of different countries, it can be hard to parse through it all to find news from one specific place. But there are a few news sources that have managed to report well on one or two regions.
So what is Japan doing to fight Covid19? What precautions have the Japanese people taken, and what does their foreseeable future look like?
Japan had more time to prepare for the Coronavirus than most of the world. Not only were the Japanese aware of it early-on because of their proximity to China, they were also responsible for the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship that was anchored in their waters for several weeks. The Japanese government kept a close eye on China and the cruise ship and began planning a "survival" strategy for the likely event that Covid19 made it to Japan.
Nevertheless, when the first cases of the virus did appear in the country, the government's strategy went largely unused for quite a while. Similar to the Untied States response, the first thing the Japanese did when Covid19 made it into the country was almost complete panic-buying. The people were more concerned about having basic necessities than catching the virus so thousands of them swarmed the supermarkets and grocery stores; they bought as much food, hand sanitizer, and toilet paper as they could get their hands on, leaving the stores sadly depleted.
Japan did calm down after a while. After people's material needs were met, most of the population showed little to no concern over the virus. They were aware that there were cases in the country, but everyday life continued as usual. Stores stayed open, large office buildings kept all their employees working, and crowded food courts and malls continued to serve the public. For a while, it looked like Japan would take Covid19 is stride without letting it negatively affect the country or healthy people's lives. Unlike China, Japan encouraged people to live life as if everything was normal.
Unfortunately, that didn't last. After a small minority of citizens complained that the government wasn't taking enough precautions, security in the country tightened up and all the business that had remained open were forced to close their doors. Like the United States, all work has been shut down or moved onto online platforms. This didn't sit well with many large corporations because they feared their employees wouldn't be as productive online has they could be in the office and that the economy would suffer. But these concerns were discounted almost immediately as the government scrambled to pacify the angry minority and fix its "mistake" of not acting fast enough.
As of right now, there is no set date when Japan will open up. Like the United States, Japan is predicting that it will begin to open up section by section once its infection rate begins to decrease, but prefectures like Tokyo and Osaka may not open for a very long time due to their dense population and high rate of infection. This would mean that businesses and schools would be closed indefinitely, which is not an appealing prospect for many Japanese citizens.
Current statistics for Covid19 in Japan can be found in the link below, but the rough numbers are better than anyone expected. As of May 5, just over 15,000 people had been infected, with a total of 566 deaths. But over 4,000 people have recovered and are starting to be discharged from the hospitals. Because Japan is already a very clean nation with health conscious citizens, the virus didn't spread as rapidly or as badly as it did in many other countries.
This is any interesting time for the entire world, including Japan. People are facing uncertainty and even fear; they are looking for something stable in an unstable world, and some are even turning to the gospel. Several small churches have recently reported increased attendance and people inquiring about ways to find peace amidst the Coronavirus pandemic. Pastors have been more than happy to offer seekers encouraging words and have high hopes that a revival will begin during and after Covid19. Prayer for these seekers and the pastors ministering to them is very important right now. Please take it upon yourself to pray for Japan in the next few weeks; by remembering the country in prayer, the Japanese people may be sustained during Covid19 and, perhaps, they could even come out stronger and more willing to hear the gospel afterwards.
Sources Cited:
Reina Scully on Covid 19, Video1, Video2
Inside the Corona Virus Outbreak in Japan
Kyodo News+
Statista
The Japan Times
Japan Covid Cases
Photo Credit: Mainichi.jp
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