COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: Containment Failed or Successful?

Takashi Yamazaki

doi:10.5209/geop.69163

Abstract

This short article examines key governmental measures against the spread of COVID-19 in Japan from a geopolitical perspective. “Geopolitical” in this article means to see the measures as spatial strategies. At the stage of globalized pandemic, state territoriality or border control is no longer able to effectively control the spread of the virus. Instead, this article argues, multi-scalar intergovernmental coordination is inevitable to tackle the virus moving along increasing trans-border/local human flows. Using the case of Japan, this article overviews how effective social distancing as a spatial strategy has been and illustrates how the limits to such a strategy to control human behavior can affect anti-virus measures. In conclusion, this article argues that the effective devolution of state power to local governments and the strengthening of state supplementary function to sustain local healthcare system and economy would be more desirable than the authoritative concentration of state power in the state of emergency.

Highlights

It is still too early to make a comprehensive assessment on the spread of COVID19 in Japan
Since the first case of infection was confirmed in mid-January 2020, the national and local governments have implemented several key measures against the outbreak of the virus (Suzuki, 2020). This short article examines these measures from a geopolitical perspective
In my first textbook published in 2010 (Yamazaki, 2010), I referred to the global spread of the 2003 SARS and the 2009 novel influenza (H1N1) to illustrate the effect of Japan’s state territoriality or border control

Summary

Introduction

It is still too early to make a comprehensive assessment on the spread of COVID19 in Japan. Since the first case of infection was confirmed in mid-January 2020, the national and local (prefecture) governments have implemented several key measures against the outbreak of the virus (Suzuki, 2020). In my first textbook published in 2010 (Yamazaki, 2010), I referred to the global spread of the 2003 SARS and the 2009 novel influenza (H1N1) to illustrate the effect of Japan’s state territoriality or border control. In an era of globalization, it is unrealistic to believe that the infected external world can be separated from the non-infected internal space of a state This ideological effect seems to have hindered the formation of effective domestic policies against the spread of a novel virus within Japan compared to its well-established crisis control in the time of natural disasters. As I foresaw in my revised textbook, multi-scalar measures against COVID-19 are being implemented nationwide by the public and private sectors and people themselves

COVID-19 in Japan

Territoriality still matters or failed?

Findings

Conclusion