During the Wuhan virus crisis, the Japanese government introduced multiple relief measures, including employment adjustment subsidies, deferment of social insurance payments, postponement of utility payments, and support for households in hardship. Yet newspapers and television failed to report these measures accurately, focusing only on criticizing the conditions for the 300,000-yen payment and stirring public distrust.

May 3, 2020
However, newspapers and television do not properly report these measures, but focus on the 300,000-yen payment per household and merely criticize it by saying that “the conditions are strict.”
The following is from an essay by Yoshiko Sakurai, published at the beginning of this month’s issue of the monthly magazine WiLL, which is filled with essays essential for every Japanese citizen to read, under the title “Worrying about the Weakness of Our Nation.”
Yoshiko Sakurai is one of the representative figures of the “national treasures” as defined by Saicho.
Everyone should be grateful for her arguments, which are also a supreme contribution to Japan.
At the same time, compared with Ms. Sakurai, who is truly a patriot and a journalist, one must feel, with anger from the bottom of one’s heart, that the people who call themselves editorial writers and anchors at Asahi and television media such as NHK are so terrible in quality that it is no exaggeration to call them criminals against the nation.

We must have not only “kindness” but also “strength.”
Let us be reborn as a nation capable of independence, starting with constitutional revision.

We have no choice but to overcome this with wisdom.
On April 7, the government issued a declaration of a state of emergency.
From the press conference in which Prime Minister Abe asked the people for cooperation while presenting data on the spread of the Wuhan virus, I felt his passion and sincerity.
However, even when a state of emergency is declared, almost no authority to issue orders is given either to the government or to the heads of local governments.
The exception is the case of creating temporary hospital facilities, where land may be forcibly used after a request is made to the landowner.
The “restriction of private rights” pointed out by liberal media such as the Asahi Shimbun derives mainly from this part.
However, I cannot possibly think that this would lead to oppression of the people as Asahi criticizes.
Nowhere in our country’s legal order or governing system is there a mechanism that grants strong authority to the government.
Our country is structured so as not to give power to the government.
Since the power of the state is extremely fragile, Japan has no choice but to protect the country through the wisdom of the government and the people.
The government must perceive wisely, and the people must each exercise self-control and act with altruism, or Japan will not hold.
If, by any chance, the government becomes as foolish as the former Democratic Party government, and the people run toward selfishness, our country will fall into confusion and lose its strength drastically.
Unless the people and the government build a relationship of trust and cooperate, we cannot overcome the threat of the virus.

Media that have forgotten their duty.
Nevertheless, the media, which should play the role of connecting the government and the people, are not fulfilling their original function of conveying facts.
Are newspapers and terrestrial television not running after sensational reporting and pouring out distorted information without showing the whole picture of the crisis our country faces?
The government decided to distribute two cloth masks per household.
Renho, deputy leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party, estimated the cost of distributing cloth masks at 46.6 billion yen and demanded that the policy be reviewed.
Other opposition lawmakers and the media also criticized it, saying “a waste of tax money” and “there are things that should be prioritized more.”
But is it fair to drag down the government in such a manner?
Let us look at the mask issue in detail.
Until now, Japan and other countries had completely depended on Chinese-made masks.
Therefore, the Abe administration asked many manufacturers to increase production, and finally approached a system of producing 700 million masks per month.
These were first sent, with priority, to medical institutions and facilities for the elderly and disabled.
Next, they were sent to elementary and junior high schools.
Then voices arose asking whether there was nothing for ordinary households, and the government decided to distribute 100 million masks, two to each household.
The media do not report such circumstances.
They do not report what the government is doing and for what purpose.
They carry out impression manipulation as if it were a foolish act by the administration.

Protecting life, that is, the economy.
Regarding compensation for households and companies damaged by the coronavirus shock, it has been pointed out that the Japanese government’s response is insufficient compared with other countries.
However, that criticism is completely off the mark.
The government has put forward measures that are not inferior even compared with Western countries.
For companies and sole proprietors whose business performance has deteriorated and who have no choice but to order employees to take leave, the government requested local governments to defer the collection of local taxes, and also established a deferment of payment of social insurance premiums.
It has also shown a policy of expanding the “employment adjustment subsidy.”
When a company orders employees to take leave, it must pay at least sixty percent of their wages.
But the government will shoulder ninety percent of that amount.
If the company pays one hundred percent of wages, the government will cover ninety percent.
Yasutoshi Nishimura, Minister in charge of Economic Revitalization, appealed to business owners nationwide on “Genron TV,” the internet program hosted by Ms. Sakurai.
“Please pay the full amount, one hundred percent, of wages to employees you place on leave. The government will cover ninety percent of that.”
Generous support is also being provided to individuals.
For people in hardship, emergency small-lot funds of 200,000 yen per month had already been loaned in January from the previous fiscal year’s reserve funds.
Although it is a “loan,” if circumstances are severe, it does not have to be repaid.
In addition, under another system, there is a framework for lending 200,000 yen per month to households of two or more people.
Through both systems, over the three months from January to March, households of two or more people can receive loans totaling 800,000 yen, and repayment exemptions are also provided.
Furthermore, households whose income has decreased will receive 300,000 yen.
Also, as mentioned above, social insurance premiums such as pension and health insurance do not have to be paid for the time being.
Utility charges such as electricity, gas, and water can also be deferred.
Of course, no delinquent tax is imposed.
Taken together, these measures reduce the burden on an average household by 120,000 to 130,000 yen.
In addition, for single-person households in hardship, there is also rent assistance of about 50,000 yen.
Incidentally, the amount deferred in payments, including national and local taxes, is said to total 26 trillion yen.
In addition to that, unsecured and interest-free loans are also being prepared.
These are relief measures that can be called lifelines for both business owners and employees.
However, newspapers and television do not properly report these measures, but focus on the 300,000-yen payment per household and merely criticize it by saying that “the conditions are strict.”
Since there are limits to government public relations, it is difficult to make policies widely known without the cooperation of the media.
Nevertheless, the present situation is that they are stirring up the people’s distrust of the government.
To be continued.