The ruling and opposition parties have asked the government to step up efforts to disseminate information about Japan's response to the new coronavirus so that the country's image will not deteriorate. The move comes amid mounting criticism from abroad about the handling of the Diamond Princess cruise ship, where a mass infection of the virus broke out.
At a meeting of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's General Council on Friday, many LDP members complained about the government's public relations activities, saying, "The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry should accurately translate the minister's press conferences into foreign languages and communicate them," and, "The government has no public relations strategy."
LDP Policy Research Council Chairman Fumio Kishida closed the meeting by proposing that future discussions be held at the party's task force on the virus.
On the same day, at a meeting of ruling coalition partner Komeito's task force, the party's Secretary General Tetsuo Saito urged senior officials from government ministries who attended the meeting to take steps, saying: "Some media reports say that the perception that 'Japan is a seriously infectious country' is spreading. I want you to prepare a report to counter that argument right away."
Prof. Kentaro Iwata of Kobe University, who entered the cruise ship on Tuesday, criticized the government's infection prevention measures in a YouTube video, and the criticism spread quickly overseas. "Japanese infection risk management has been misunderstood as lax," a senior member of a ruling party said with regret.
Komeito Vice Representative Kazuo Kitagawa proposed at a press conference on Thursday that Japan should take the initiative in establishing international rules for dealing with infectious diseases aboard cruise ships.
Meanwhile, senior members from opposition parties -- the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Democratic Party For the People and the Social Democratic Party -- handed a proposal to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, urging the government to provide appropriate information overseas.
"Japan's reputation may decline if information is not disseminated to foreign countries properly," the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan's policy research council chairman Seiji Osaka told reporters.
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