Feb 2, 2021
Japan has significantly fewer COVID-19 cases compared with Western countries and more beds per capita. At the same time, the nation’s hospitals are close to breaking point, overwhelmed with patients.
So far there have been about 390,000 novel coronavirus cases reported in Japan, while the figure is more than 26 million in the United States, 3.8 million in the United Kingdom and 2.2 million in Germany, according to a Reuters tally.
But despite the relatively low number of cases, prefectures currently under a state of emergency are seeing about 70% of their hospital beds for virus patients occupied, causing serious strain on the medical system.
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai, fourth from left, meets on Jan. 28 with Tetsuro Fukuyama, second from left, his counterpart in the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. (Kotaro Ebara)
The Liberal Democratic Party on Jan. 28 deleted criminal penalties from proposed legal revisions to deal with COVID-19 following widespread criticism of the threat and embarrassment caused by the behavior of ruling coalition lawmakers.
In discussions with the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the LDP retracted all proposed criminal penalties against COVID-19 patients who refuse to be hospitalized or are unwilling to cooperate with authorities to trace infection routes.
Doctors and nurses at Kyorin University Hospital in Tokyo treat a patient brought into the emergency room. (Ryo Kato)
Health ministry officials are pushing a legal revision to give prefectural governors more power to secure hospitals beds for COVID-19 patients and the authority to shame medical institutions that do not cooperate.
A panel of experts approved a proposal by the health ministry submitted on Jan. 15 to change the Infectious Diseases Prevention Law to deal with the rising number of novel coronavirus infections around Japan.
Health ministry officials plan to submit legislation early in the ordinary Diet session to convene on Jan. 18 to revise the law.
A room at a hospital in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, set aside for COVID-19 patients (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
The health ministry plans to introduce penalties for those confirmed with COVID-19 but who refuse to be hospitalized.
The issue was raised during a Jan. 8 meeting of government officials and lawmakers from the ruling coalition and opposition camps.
The ministry plans to submit legislation to revise the Infectious Diseases Prevention Law to the ordinary Diet session slated to convene from Jan. 18.
Under the Infectious Diseases Prevention Law, prefectural governors can recommend that COVID-19 patients be hospitalized if they feel there is a need and can force individuals who do not comply to enter a hospital.