Japan's PM vows Olympics will be proof of victory over virus

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga vowed Monday to get pandemic under control and hold alrey postponed Olympics this summer with ample coronavirus protection. In a speech opening a new Parliament session, Suga said his government would revise laws to make anti-virus measures enforceable with penalties and compensation.

Early in pandemic, Japan was able to keep its virus caselo manable with n-binding requests for businesses to close or operate with social distancing and for people to stay home. But recent weeks have seen several highs in new cases per day, in part blamed on eased attitudes toward anti-virus measures, and doubts are growing as more contagious variants spre while people wait for vaccines and Olympics draw closer. Suga said his government aimed to start vaccinations as early as late February.

“In order to restore sense of safety, I will get coronavirus pandemic, which has rd worldwide and is w severely affecting Japan, under control as soon as possible,” Suga said. “I will stand at frontline of battle while I get people's cooperation."

Suga pledged to achieve Olympics as “a proof of human victory against coronavirus." “We will have full anti-infection measures in place and proceed with preparation with a determination to achieve Games that can deliver hope and cour throughout world," he said.

Recent media polls show about 80% of Japanese public think Olympics will t or should t happen. Suga said vaccine is “clincher” of pandemic and hopes to start vaccination when Japan's Health Ministry is expected to approve vaccine developed by Pfizer, one of three foreign suppliers to Japan, as early as late February. But pace of iculation could be slow, as surveys have shown many people have safety concerns.

Suga also said in his speech, just two days ahe of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, that he hoped to meet new American leer soon to furr strengn Japan-U.S. alliance and to cooperate on pandemic, climate change and or key issues.

Japan has confirmed more than 330,000 infections and 4,500 deaths from COVID-19, numbers that have surged recently though y are still far smaller than many or countries of its size. Suga on Jan. 7 issued a state of emergency for Tokyo area and expanded step last Wednesday as surge in infections strained medical systems. But he has been criticized for being slow to put preventative measures in place after new surge began, apparently due to his government’s reluctance to furr hurt ecomy.

He kept state-subsidized “Go To” travel promotion campaign active until late December, which critics say misguided public when people needed to practice more restraint. Suga in Monday’s speech me mention of “Go To” campaign, which was designed to support tourism industry devastated by pandemic.

state of emergency — covering more than half of Japan’s 127 million people — asks bars and restaurants to close by 8 p.m., employees to have 70% of ir staff work from home and residents to avoid leaving home for nessential purposes. It's set to end Feb. 7 but could be extended.

One of proposed changes to anti-virus measures would legalize compensation for business owners who cooperate with such measures and allow fines or imprisonment for those who defy m.

Suga's government also plans to revise infectious disease law to allow authorities to penalize patients who refuse to be hospitalized or cooperate with health officials, Ecomy Revitalization Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, in charge of virus measures, said on a NHK public television talk show Sunday.

Health officials believe a growing number of people are defying instructions from health officials to self-isolate or be hospitalized, spreing virus and making contact tracing difficult. Opposition lawmakers and experts are cautious about punishment for patients, citing human rights concerns. y also say such punishment is pointless when hospitals are running out of beds and forcing hundreds of people to wait at home. 

(Im Credits: AP)