Society

Japan losing patience with government over COVID-19 response

Apr 16 (dw.com) - Prime Minister Abe has been accused by critics of prioritizing the economy and the Olympic Games over the well-being of the Japanese public. As his approval rating falls, the number of COVID-19 cases are increasing.

The Japanese public appears to be losing patience with the government over its dithering response to the coronavirus. Along with a new spike in COVID-19 cases and deaths, there are increasingly stark indications that Japan's health authorities are struggling to stay on top of the outbreak.

More than 80% of people responding to a survey conducted on Monday by Kyodo News said the government's declaration of a state of emergency in the nation's biggest cities on April 7 came too late.

Read more: Coronavirus: Can Japan's 'soft lockdown' stop COVID-19?

The government's overall approval rating fell more than 5% in the poll to marginally above 40%.

An overwhelming 82% of those surveyed also stressed that the state needs to provide financial support to companies that are struggling due to a government recommendation to halt operations. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has so far resisted applying financial aid measures.

Public anger, and fear, is also being stoked by alarming reports from the frontlines in the fight against the virus.

There were 482 new cases reported on Tuesday, bringing the nationwide total to 8,173. Nineteen people died of the virus on Tuesday, bringing the total number of fatalities to 174.

Nine of Japan's 47 prefectures are close to filling all the emergency hospital beds set aside for coronavirus cases, according to national broadcaster NHK, including Tokyo, Osaka, Hyogo and Fukuoka, which are under state of emergency designations.

The city government of Osaka on Tuesday issued a plea for residents to donate waterproof coats to hospitals as health workers are running out of protective clothing, an indication that the coronavirus is spreading faster than anticipated and provoking further criticism of the central government's response.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Osaka Mayor Ichiro Matsui said doctors and nurses at a number of hospitals are forced to wear trash bags when they treat patients. The city has requested donations of unused raincoats and asked local manufacturers of similar clothing to step up production and sell equipment to the city at fair market rates.

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