July 3, 2020
Not once have the people granted the title of NHK “newscaster”—a cowardly designation used to escape responsibility under the Broadcasting Act—expressed any criticism or protest over the failure to disclose the names of the establishments concerned.
In the first place, are host clubs and cabarets truly necessary?
Although almost everyone must be thinking, “Enough is enough,” infections linked to such establishments in Shinjuku’s Kabukicho, Ikebukuro, and other areas continue to be reported day after day.
More absurdly still, the number of infections has continued to increase.
Yet NHK, the only news program I watched, even if only with half my attention, until I began watching World Business Satellite, has never once reported the names of the establishments involved.
Not once have the people granted the title of NHK “newscaster”—a cowardly designation used to escape responsibility under the Broadcasting Act—expressed any criticism or protest over the failure to disclose those names.
Last night on World Business Satellite, presenter Tatsuo Yamakawa made an entirely reasonable and self-evident argument.
“The names of establishments where clusters have occurred should be disclosed.
Hospitals where nosocomial infections occur are publicly identified without hesitation, causing patient numbers to fall sharply and some hospitals to face serious financial difficulties.
Yet the names of host clubs and other adult-entertainment establishments are not disclosed.
This is not merely unreasonable.
Disclosing their names is also necessary to prevent the infection from spreading.”
He is absolutely right.
Hospitals exist to save human lives.
Doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals treat patients while exposing themselves to the risk of infection.
Yet when an infection occurs inside a hospital, its name is disclosed without hesitation.
As a result, the number of patients visiting that hospital may collapse, and the hospital itself may face serious financial uncertainty.
Despite this, the names of host clubs, cabarets, and other establishments that became settings for the spread of infection remain undisclosed.
Could anything be more unfair or irrational?
To prevent infections from spreading, people must be told which establishments present a danger so that they can avoid them.
Merely repeating that “infections are spreading in nightlife districts” while concealing the names of the actual venues provides no concrete means of prevention.
When examining the spread of the first wave in the Tokyo metropolitan area, the K-1 event that proceeded with an audience of approximately 6,000 people also requires thorough investigation.
I continue to question why the media, particularly television broadcasters, did not rigorously investigate responsibility for that event, including the background of its organizers and other involved parties.
Could the present refusal to disclose the names of host clubs and cabarets similarly reflect excessive consideration or deference toward particular interests?
Of course, disclosing the name of an establishment is not the same as criticizing a particular ethnic group or people of a particular national origin.
It simply means identifying the specific location where infections occurred and taking the measures necessary to protect the lives and health of the public.
In Japan, however, legitimate factual statements and criticism are sometimes confused with discrimination or hate speech.
As a result, the authorities and the media may have become excessively timid and may even be withholding information that ought to be made public.
If that is so, they are placing their fear of criticism above the lives of the Japanese people.
To whom are the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the media showing such deference?
If they are genuinely committed to preventing the spread of infection, they must promptly disclose the names of establishments where clusters have occurred.