Joe Tomei with another update from the JET Prefectural Advisors, Bilal Khan & Lily McDermott. I would highlight the link about Special Fixed Benefits – 特別定額給付金 “Tokubetsu Teigaku Kyuufukin” below has a sample English translation of the application form.
====== Yesterday was the last day of the State of Emergency that was originally called on 7 April 2020. However, as you probably already know, on Tuesday 5 May 2020 the national government officially made the decision to extend it until 31 May, and so the country remains under a state of emergency.
At a press conference announcing the extension made on Tuesday, the prime minister mentioned that nearly 10,000 people throughout the country are still undergoing COVID-19 treatment. While as many as 100 people each day are being discharged and the basic reproduction rate of the infection has been significantly reduced, it is still necessary to reduce the number of new infections to be lower than the number of people being discharged each day. As a result, the government believes that at least one additional month is required to bring the outbreak under control, based on the advice given by the expert committee outlined in the previous e-mail (full summary of the expert committee analysis and advice here in Japanese).
However, the government intends to convene the expert committee meetings weekly in order to determine if it is possible to lift the state of emergency before the end of the month. The prime minister has asked the expert committee to draft a set of guidelines outlining what conditions should be met in order to determine when the state of emergency can be lifted. (https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20200506/k10012419741000.html?utm_int=news_contents_news-main_001_relation_001)
“Special Alert” and “Limited-Case” Prefectures In the same announcement on the extension of the state of emergency, the national government made the observation that the country can be divided into two different categories: 13 “special alert” prefectures (特定警戒都道府県, tokutei keikai todо̄fuken), and the remaining 35 prefectures which only have a limited number of new cases (新規感染者数が限定的となった地域, shinkikansenshasuu ga genteiteki to natta chiiki). Fukuoka is currently classified as a “special alert” prefecture, and Kumamoto and the remaining 6 prefectures of Kyushu are considered to be areas in which there is a limited number of new cases.
The prime minister explained that self-restraint from non-necessary and non-urgent outings in order to reduce contact with others by 80% will remain necessary in “special alert” prefectures, but also said that places such as public parks, museums and art galleries could re-open as long as special precautions are taken. On the other hand, in the 35 remaining prefectures, the expectation of reducing interactions by 80% can be relaxed and economic activities can be restarted gradually as long as people do not travel to and from other prefectures, and faithfully observe “New Lifestyle” recommendations.
NHK World News article about this (in English): https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/1073/ Full press conference transcript: https://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/98_abe/statement/2020/0504kaiken.html
“New Lifestyle” (新しい生活様式) Specific Examples The national government explained that the fight against the spread of coronavirus will be a long-term challenge and that we will have to learn how to co-exist with the virus. As a result, it is encouraging people living in prefectures with a limited number of new cases, such as Kumamoto, to begin a “New Lifestyle” as we look toward the re-opening of social and economic activity.
The government provided the following examples of what this “New Lifestyle” should look like: -Continue avoiding the “3 Cs.” (closed spaces with poor ventilation, crowded places with many people nearby, and close-contact settings such as close-range conversations) -Continue avoiding dining at restaurants that involve customer service interaction. When dining out, go only in small numbers, sit side by side rather than across from the people you are dining with, and order individual rather than shared dishes. -Continue avoiding movement across prefectural boundaries; other non-necessary and non-urgent outings are OK. -Enable GPS tracking features on your phone/maintain a daily record of where you went and who you interacted with so that you can more easily re-trace your steps in the event that you are infected. -When going outside, continue wearing masks, maintain physical distance of 2 metres, and frequently wash your hands for 30 seconds. -Upon returning home, wash your face as well as your hands, change your clothes, and take a shower. -Telework/time-lag commuting should be continued where possible. -Continue shopping at times when shops are not crowded, and order online when possible. -Avoid public transport during rush hour; instead, walk or bike when possible. -Requests to close businesses may be retraced, and schools may be re-opened by prefectural/local authorities based on the local infection situation.
You can read more about it here - “New lifestyle” recommendations (in Japanese): https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/special/coronavirus/view/detail/detail_08.html,
Kumamoto Response to the National Government Announcement There have been no new cases confirmed in Kumamoto Prefecture for 10 days. At a meeting of the Kumamoto Prefectural and City joint specialist advisory committee for COVID-19 response on Tuesday 5 May, experts advised the prefecture and city that the request to close entertainment facilities should be extended until 20 May. At the same time, they said that some facilities in other sectors of the economy can be re-opened as long as they take precautions to prevent the spread of the virus. (https://this.kiji.is/630265466196657249?c=92619697908483575)
On 7 May (today), the following facilities/businesses may re-open on the condition that they implement measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19: -Educational facilities such as universities, vocational schools, cram schools, driving schools, English conversation schools, international schools, ballet, igo/shogi classes, music classes, ikebana/tea ceremony/calligraphy classrooms, and gymnastics classes -Schools such as elementary schools, junior high schools, senior high schools, kindergartens, and special needs schools* -Exercise facilities such as gymnasiums, swimming pools, bowling arenas, skating rinks, judo/kendo dojo, sports clubs (gyms), hot yoga/yoga studios -Function/assembly halls, rental meeting rooms, exhibition rooms, cultural centres, and multipurpose halls, etc. -Theatres, cinemas, planetaria, stadiums, amusement parks, etc. -Museums, art galleries, libraries, science centres, zoos/botanical gardens, aquariums, memorial halls, and hotels/ryokan (only parts used for meetings) -Commercial facilities such as DVD/video stores, video rental stores, stores selling outdoor goods or sports goods, golf shops, aestheticians, nail salons, hair removal salons, tanning salons, photo studios, pet shops (except places where pet food is sold), second-hand shops (except for pawnshops), show homes, model railway stores, toy stores, souvenir shops, art/jewellery stores, and travel agents, etc. *Schools may re-open, but following the decision made earlier last month, school closures will remain in place until further notice.
On 11 May, the following businesses/facilities may re-open: Entertainment facilities such as snack bars, bars, internet cafés, manga cafés, bookmakers, mahjong parlours, pachinko parlours, and game centres The following entertainment/amusement businesses/facilities may not re-open due to the unavoidability of the “3 Cs”: ^Cabarets, nightclubs, discos, karaoke boxes, live houses (concert houses), sports bars, adult entertainment facilities (soaplands etc) https://this.kiji.is/630401833705047137?c=92619697908483575 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP-b6quRnfc
The prefecture is asking re-opening businesses to open their doors, prevent people from sitting across from one another, and restrict the number of people entering the business at any given time. The full checklist is on the prefectural website here. https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/common/UploadFileOutput.ashx?c_id=3&id=32491&sub_id=47&flid=233131
The checklist is extensive and contains many requests to business owners. For example, it asks re-opening restaurants to ask customers for their contact information in case someone is confirmed to be infected. Some other measures include preventing the use of common towels/hand dryers, and ensuring the use of masks, regular washing of employee uniforms, etc.
Pachinko parlours are being asked to reduce the volume of their background music so that people do not need to speak loudly, and to turn away customers from other prefectures.
Prefectural Government PPT: https://www.pref.kumamoto.jp/common/UploadFileOutput.ashx?c_id=3&id=32491&sub_id=44&flid=233119
About Special Fixed Benefits – 特別定額給付金 “Tokubetsu Teigaku Kyuufukin” A sample English translation of the application form is now available on the Support Center for Foreign Residents website: http://www.kuma-koku.jp/support-center/page174.html.
The form used by your municipality may be different. The translated sample form is currently available in English, Vietnamese, Korean, Tagalog and French.
Event cancellations Many events that would have been held this summer have been cancelled including the Hinokuni Festival, Ezuko Fireworks Festival, and the The Great Festival of Fujisaki Hachimangu Shrine (https://www.fnn.jp/articles/-/37789). You can find a list of cancelled events in this article by Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun here: https://this.kiji.is/605202893814056033?c=92619697908483575
In addition, the 61st International Speech Contest in Japanese has also been cancelled. (https://www.jpf.go.jp/e/project/japanese/education/benron/61.html)
