Based on Yoshiko Sakurai’s column, this article examines China’s false propaganda over the Wuhan virus, the praise China received from the WHO and the United Nations, and the danger of international information warfare that seeks to depict Japan as a failure.
It argues that Japan must strengthen its crisis-management system, improve its ability to communicate internationally, and establish legal and constitutional grounds for stronger emergency powers.

March 13, 2020
While using its financial power to bring the United Nations into its own hands, China is now even spreading information that the virus was brought in by the United States.
It also emphasizes the contrast between China, which succeeded in suppressing the virus, and Japan, which failed.
The following is a continuation of Yoshiko Sakurai’s regular column, which, together with Masayuki Takayama’s column, brings up the rear of the Weekly Shincho issue released yesterday.
Ms. Sakurai is a “national treasure” as defined by Saicho.
The WHO lavishes praise on China.
It is good that the Constitutional Democratic Party and Mr. Tanaka have finally begun to show an attitude of addressing the Wuhan virus.
But instead of continuing to oppose for the sake of opposition and criticize for the sake of criticism, why do they not cooperate more with the ruling party?
When the great tragedy of March 11 occurred, the Liberal Democratic Party, then in opposition, fully cooperated with the Democratic Party administration.
Regarding the Wuhan virus, the masks and toilet paper before our eyes may indeed be important.
But politicians, especially the prime minister, must at the same time turn their eyes to another important matter.
That is Japan’s crisis management.
China is now conducting false propaganda, turning black into white, by claiming that the Wuhan virus did not originate in China.
On March 8, People’s Daily reported that China had only four new infections, all of them imported cases from overseas.
They claim that, under the concept of a “community of shared future for mankind,” China has shared information with the World Health Organization, WHO, and the international community and has prevented the global spread of infection.
WHO Director-General Tedros said:
“The large-scale infection prevention and control measures taken by China have made the world safer.”
United Nations Secretary-General Guterres praised China, saying:
“The Chinese people have contributed to all humanity by sacrificing their normal lives.”
To the WHO, which lavishes praise on China, the Chinese government announced on the 7th a donation of 20 million dollars.
While using its financial power to bring the United Nations into its own hands, China is now even spreading information that the virus was brought in by the United States.
It also emphasizes the contrast between China, which succeeded in suppressing the virus, and Japan, which failed.
Among the many calamities that have come from China, including the Wuhan virus, it is our country that receives the most direct impact.
That is precisely why, even if Japan cooperates with China, Japan must strengthen its ability to communicate information so that it does not lose to false propaganda, and must protect its own national interests.
To survive in the international community, Japan needs allies who can properly understand Japan.
That is why information dissemination is the key.
In addition, with the government’s current authority, which stops at mere “requests” in emergencies, virus countermeasures cannot function.
The law should be developed so that the government has coercive power, and its basis should be established in the Constitution.