Japan's travel subsidy campaign begins amid concerns over virus resurgence
Japan's government subsidized travel campaign began Wednesday aimed at bolstering the ailing domestic tourism industry which has been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The "Go To Travel" campaign is intended to help support local economies and the overall domestic tourism sector through increased consumer spending after a prolonged virus-triggered slump, which in turn would benefit the broader recession-hit economy.
The central government hopes that by subsidizing accommodation and transport fees, more people would be encouraged to take domestic trips.
But the campaign has met with resistance from concerned parties who fear that the plan will only serve to increase the number of COVID-19 infections as more people cross prefectural borders.
Rising COVID-19 cases in Japan, with 677 new cases reported Wednesday evening bringing the cumulative total to over 27,000, has cast something of a shadow over the campaign, ahead of a four-day weekend which comprises two successive national holidays.
Tokyo's new COVID-19 cases rising by 238 to a cumulative total of 10,054 on Wednesday, has also sparked concern as infections in the capital with a 14-million population have been on an uptrend since the government lifted the state of emergency on May 25.
In an abrupt decision by the central government adding to concern and confusion over the campaign, trips by Tokyo residents and those to and from the capital have been excluded from the subsidy campaign, underscoring concerns about the virus as well as the likely drop in expenditure.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike on Wednesday urged the city's residents to "take thorough anti-infection measures and avoid going outside as much as possible."
Koike, who has spoken out against the government's travel campaign, ahead of the long weekend, also warned of a possible "second wave" of infections.
Tokyo's coronavirus alert level has been raised by the metropolitan government to the highest on its four-tier scale, meaning that "infections are spreading."
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, meanwhile, has urged that antiviral measures be comprehensively taken by establishments involved in the campaign as well as by those traveling, adding that the "resumption of economic activities will be conducted carefully with the cooperation of people."
The subsidy campaign has also been hit by concerns about Osaka Prefecture, Japan's second hardest-hit region by the virus, reporting a record number of new daily COVID-19 cases at 121, according to Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura.
The prefecture's cumulative total has now risen to 2,662 cases, and officials are concerned about the virus' resurgence.
Japan's top government spokesperson Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on Wednesday said, however, that despite the spike in cases, the government has no plans to make Osaka Prefecture ineligible for the travel campaign as it has done with Tokyo.
Local governments along with opposition parties had called on the central government to reconsider the launch of its "Go To Travel" campaign, suggesting the idea be postponed or its introduction in staggered manner amid the virus' resurgence and due to numerous areas being flooded and hit by landslides following torrential rain in wide swathes of the country recently.
Main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan head Yukio Edano said previously that it was "untimely" to be promoting tourism right now. "We need to stop and rethink it," Edano said.
Toshio Nakagawa, president of the Japan Medical Association, for his part, has said that "extreme caution" would be required by the government in launching the campaign.
"The program was originally planned to start after coronavirus infections are contained and it's not a good idea to bring it forward," Nakagawa said, with reference to the government rescheduling the start of the campaign from the Obon holiday period in August, to coincide with two national holidays from Thursday.
