News On Japan

Japan's hospitals struggle with nursing shortage amid pandemic

May 16 (NHK) - After nearly three decades as a nurse, Hori Narumi was looking forward to retiring this year. But the coronavirus outbreak has put those plans on hold. Japan was struggling with a shortage of nurses even before the epidemic. Now, the situation has reached a crisis point.

In March, Hori decided to take on a role as an advisor to the Tokyo Nursing Association. She says that in all her years of work, she has never experienced anything like what she’s seeing at hospitals now.

“We don’t have enough protective equipment,” she says. “Nurses are terrified of getting sick and infecting their family members.”

Hori says this fear is compounded by a sense of helplessness, unique to the coronavirus crisis. Nurses are unable to offer the full treatment they were trained for, given the nature of the virus.

“It’s heartbreaking not being able to give the best end-of-life care to patients and their relatives,” she says.

The Japanese Nursing Association says these feelings of fear and impotence, combined with longer than usual hours, is leading to burnout. The organization says some nurses are already suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

According to the Japanese Nursing Association, a ward treating COVID-19 requires four times as many nurses as a regular one. This strain on manpower is exacerbated by the spread of infection inside hospitals, which is forcing many qualified staff to stay home and self-isolate.

In early April, Fukui Toshiko, president of the Japanese Nursing Association, issued an urgent plea for retired nurses to return to work. She says Japan is in desperate need of people, no matter what their previous roles were, or how long they had been away, and says there are jobs, such as telephone operators, that have a low risk of infection. The association emailed 50,000 former nurses. As of Monday, only 600 had answered the call.

The association has asked the government to offer hazard pay to help entice more people back. But that request has gone unanswered.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

A suspicious object feared to be explosive was discovered at a high school in Sapporo on the afternoon of November 22nd, causing temporary chaos. The object was found to have been brought to the school by one of its students.

China says it will resume allowing visa-free visits by Japanese nationals on short-term trips from the end of this month. (NHK)

Japan is facing a deepening crisis of poverty and inequality, with rising reports of 'invisible homeless' individuals and growing economic hardships among the population. Discussions over reforms to the country's tax and welfare systems have taken center stage, as policymakers grapple with how to provide meaningful support.

A special lighting ceremony was held on November 20th at Ueno Toshogu Shrine, located in Ueno Park, Taito Ward, Tokyo. The event featured a unique lighting design created by renowned lighting designer Motoko Ishii.

A Japanese pharmaceutical company has announced the successful commercialization of fiber made from silk produced by bagworms.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

A man with a distinctive snake-like tattoo on his face has been arrested for shoplifting and assaulting a convenience store employee in Tokyo. The suspect, identified as 49-year-old Masakatsu Echizenya, is accused of stealing items from a store around noon on November 15th and violently attacking the employee who confronted him.

Hifumi Kato, affectionately known as 'Hifumin,' has been officially recognized by Guinness World Records for the longest-running chess puzzle column in a magazine.

A male caretaker at Tennoji Zoo in Osaka has been sent to prosecutors on suspicion of stealing vegetables and fruits used as monkey feed.

The operator of a strip theater in Osaka's Tenma district, advertised as "Western Japan's largest," has been arrested alongside nine others for exposing dancers' lower bodies to customers, police announced.

Kumano Nachi Taisha Shrine in Nachikatsuura Town, Wakayama Prefecture, has begun producing traditional calligraphy artwork for next year’s New Year celebrations.

Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested five people on suspicion of violating Japan's Employment Security Act. They are believed to have run a nationwide operation to recruit women via social media to work in the sex industry. (NHK)

A human hand was discovered protruding from the ground at a cemetery in Nara City on November 18th, around 1:30 p.m.

Tanikawa Shuntaro -- a renowned Japanese poet who used his keen sense of observation in creating a vast body of work -- has died of old age. He was 92. (NHK)