Information junkie and control freak When Abe returned to power in 2012, he faced three challenges. One was to make the public forget his disastrous first term in office. Two, to rein in Japan’s press, which might report on new scandals or poor decisions made by the PM. Three, tame Japan’s independent bureaucracy and government agencies to make sure that they followed Abe’s policy. Suga has taken on those tasks successfully. He was the architect of a plan to restrict and muzzle the media systematically. In 2012, Japan was ranked 22nd in the world press freedom rankings determined by Reporters Without Borders; it now hovers around 66th place. Suga deserves credit for that significant drop. … [Read more...] about Japan’s Ruthless New PM Is a Control Freak Who Muzzled the Press
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Health Sec Says It’s a ‘Long, Long, Long’ Way off from End of Lockdown
“… there is early evidence that the lockdown is starting to bring cases down, but we’re a long, long, long way from being low enough because the case rate was incredibly high and you can see the pressure on the NHS, you can see it every day,” Mr Hancock said on Sky News. … [Read more...] about Health Sec Says It’s a ‘Long, Long, Long’ Way off from End of Lockdown
Govt Extends Lockdown Powers for Local Councils Until July
“I think it’s too early to say when we will lift some of the restrictions,” Mr Johnson said last week, with Health Secretary Matt Hancock saying on Sunday that “we’re a long, long, long way” from cases being low enough to talk about coming out of lockdown. … [Read more...] about Govt Extends Lockdown Powers for Local Councils Until July
Japan Wants to Throw COVID-19 Patients in Jail If They Refuse to Go to the Hospital
According to the Sannin Chuo Shinpo, the local paper, their success has come from taking early measures, widely testing not only the symptomatic carriers but asymptomatic individuals. They would then quarantine those who had positive results, usually in well-equipped hospitals. The results: low rates of infection and the number of designated hospital beds being used for COVID-19 patients is around 7 percent, the lowest in the county. This has been achieved by ignoring the central government’s “save face” policy and doing what every sensible nation in Asia had done to fight the pandemic. Meanwhile, the minister of welfare said on a television program on Jan. 14: “Well, the more testing the better, I think. But, since we’re using tax money for it, there is the problem of cost performance.” … [Read more...] about Japan Wants to Throw COVID-19 Patients in Jail If They Refuse to Go to the Hospital
Boris Pledges to ‘Look at Potential’ of Relaxing Restrictions Next Month, But No Promise Lockdown Would Be Lifted
The remarks are the closest indication yet from the government that it is considering an exit strategy from England’s third coronavirus lockdown. When Prime Minister Johnson announced the measures on January 4th, he refused to give an end date — hinting at only a soft deadline of mid-February, with senior minister Michael Gove suggesting less than 24 hours later a date in March. When the law was put before MPs, the provisions were given an expiration of March 31st — almost three months. … [Read more...] about Boris Pledges to ‘Look at Potential’ of Relaxing Restrictions Next Month, But No Promise Lockdown Would Be Lifted
