Concerns about a resurgence of the infectious disease cannot be dispelled. The government and the ruling and opposition parties should come up with concrete countermeasures through constructive debates.
A question-and-answer session has begun at the House of Representatives Budget Committee.
In relation to measures against the novel coronavirus, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said, "We'll take all possible measures based on our experience and scientific knowledge."
More than 100,000 people have been infected with the coronavirus in Japan. The number of new infections had been holding steady, but recently coronavirus clusters have emerged mainly in urban areas, and cases have been slightly on the increase again. Expanding the medical and testing systems is an urgent task.
Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Norihisa Tamura expressed his view to have each prefecture set up medical and testing facilities that will accept without fail people who have a fever, based on the idea that it is difficult to distinguish symptoms of the coronavirus from those of influenza. But it is vital for the central government to take the initiative, rather than leaving the task entirely to local governments.
Uncertainty over the future has been spreading among companies. The ratio of job openings to job applicants has dropped for the ninth consecutive month. There are many small and midsize companies that are having difficulty continuing their business.
The prime minister said, "Support measures will be properly implemented for business operators who need help, in accordance with actual conditions."
It is indispensable to continue special measures to raise the upper limit of employment adjustment subsidies and support needy people. To put a brake on the worsening employment situation, the government should not hesitate to take additional economic measures.
The statements made by the prime minister also lack concrete measures on specific issues, such as measures to combat the coronavirus and advance digitization. He seems to have been focusing on a safe and risk-free approach, but he should present ways to overcome the current difficult situation.
The largest opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, raised a question over the prime minister's refusal to appoint six candidates recommended by the Science Council of Japan.
Casting doubt on the need for new members of the academic council to be recommended by current members or others, Suga argued: "Is it enough to simply follow precedent? For example, it would be better to increase the number of members from the private sector or young people."
Funds from the national budget are allocated to the academic council, which has a strong influence on science and technology policies. If there is a problem, it is natural to correct it.
However, it would be unconvincing if the prime minister does not explain the reason for his refusal to appoint the six candidates and leaves open a discrepancy with the past governments' statement that "appointment by the government is merely a formality."
In response to the prime minister's criticism that the membership and others are biased toward specific universities, the academic council has counterargued that it has been taking reform measures, such as reducing the number of members who belong to the University of Tokyo.
If the government does not make efforts to answer the questions and repeatedly argues back and forth with opposition parties in a manner that lacks content, it will not be able to meet the expectations of the people. It needs to identify the points of contention and explain them thoroughly.
-- The original Japanese article appeared in The Yomiuri Shimbun on Nov. 3, 2020.
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