The risk of the novel coronavirus is increasing day by day, and we cannot expect anything from the government’s delayed response.  It could almost be said that the lack of crisis management policy is part of Japanese culture, as the approach has been incredibly careless.  Watching the passengers suspected of infection on the cruise ship waving flags as they disembarked was truly shocking. It was hard to  understand what was happening, and the scene seemed strange. In the U.S., Australia, and even here in New Zealand, those involved were immediately quarantined in military facilities upon their return.  In line with its historical character, Australia government had taken extremely strict measures, even isolating individuals on remote islands  thousands of kilometers away. This level of response is only natural; anything less would make it impossible to contain such pathogens.

Wearing masks and washing hands are nothing more than superficial measures. Even if a test comes back negative, there’s still  enough suspicion of infection, and the passengers who disembarked used public transportation to return to their hometowns.  Just thinking about how many pathogens they might have spread. Now, we have school closures at the government’s request —a completely extreme measure. No wonder the public is confused. In the end, it’s bureaucratic policies crafted by officials and executed by politicians who simply read scripts with no real understanding.  The opposition parties criticize this but lack the power and alternative proposals to counter it. It makes me wonder if there’s any point in  paying taxes to these kinds of politicians and bureaucrats.

I remember a politician once saying, ‘Our country’s politics are fine because our bureaucrats are solid.’ So, what exactly are the elected  officials doing? It seems like they spend their days viewing cherry blossoms and drinking sake. Bureaucrat-led democracy? It’s become the norm,  and for the politicians, elections are everything. Once they lose, they’re just ordinary men, so bureaucrats, regardless of who takes power,  always enjoy their time in the sun. In this regard, the U.S. is different. In America, politicians bring in their own bureaucrats. If they fail,  that politician is almost certain to lose in the next election. That’s democracy. In contrast, democracy in Japan is practically nonexistent.  This makes it no different from China’s one-party rule, as Japan’s bureaucracy-dependent politics under the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party continue. It’s a legacy from the Edo period, a culture where people prefer to align themselves with authority, allowing for the irresponsible waste of  tax money. Watching from abroad, this is all the more apparent, and it’s truly a shameful situation.