Weekly Update: News on Japan & the Netherlands – Week 48, 2020

As a result of the increase, Japan may reimpose attendance limits again for sports and other large events to curb a spike in COVID-19 infections, economy minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said on Sunday. Nishimura is also minister in charge of the government’s coronavirus response.

The limits would be applied in areas of the country seeing a sharp increase in cases, Nishimura said on a talk show on public broadcaster NHK. The government imposed attendance limits earlier in the year but relaxed them in recent months.

Trips by residents of Sapporo in Hokkaido and Osaka to other areas will continue to be eligible for the Go To Travel campaign, which effectively shoulders about half of domestic travel expenses to help the tourism industry weather the impact of the pandemic.

The minister said the suspension will only target travel destinations where the health care system is hard-pressed following record numbers of infections, which some medical experts said were triggered by the campaign. Tourism minister Kazuyoshi Akaba said the suspension was “a painful decision as it will greatly impact both travelers and the tourism industry.”

In a related move, farm minister Kotaro Nogami said the central government will ask prefectural governments to consider halting the issuance of Go To Eat discount coupons, aimed at encouraging dining out at restaurants, and urging people to refrain from using them.

The central government’s policy follows plans announced Monday by both Hokkaido Gov Naomichi Suzuki and Osaka Gov Hirofumi Yoshimura to temporarily withdraw their capital cities from the travel promotion program. Osaka Mayor Ichiro Matsui told reporters on Tuesday, “We hope the central government will suspend the travel campaign for the city for the time being as quickly as possible.”

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga had announced the halt of the initiative on Saturday without elaborating on destinations affected, time frames or other details, a day after a government panel of medical experts proposed reviewing the campaign.

Suga met with Tokyo Gov Yuriko Koike on Tuesday to discuss how to treat the nation’s capital, which has reported the most coronavirus cases among the 47 prefectures, under the program.

Last week on Thursday, Koike already urged the public to cooperate in fighting the coronavirus as the capital raised its alert to the highest level. She emphasized that everybody should observe the 5 “kos” when dining out or drinking — meeting in small groups (limited to four), using small plates to avoid sharing chopsticks or glasses, quickly leaving after eating, keeping a mask on in between eating or drinking, and speaking in a small (or low) voice.

Medical experts have called the resurgence a third wave of infections, attributing it partly to the arrival of cooler temperatures that have forced people to spend more time indoors, often in rooms without sufficient ventilation that can stop the virus from spreading.

Meanwhile, some of them have said the travel campaign has increased people’s movements and the number of infections, calling on the government to review the travel subsidy program.

Toshio Nakagawa, head of the Japan Medical Association, has said there is no concrete evidence to indicate it is responsible for the recent spike in infections, but “there is no mistaking that it acted as a catalyst.”

He said this requires a comprehensive effort, including in development, production, and delivery of medications. He said Japan plans to help establish universal health coverage, in which high quality healthcare is provided to all.

Suga said no effort should be spared in order to achieve a global economic recovery and to resume international travel, while taking measures to prevent the spread of infections. He suggested that Japan will promote international rule-making in the digital field and strengthen supply chains.

On the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, which have been postponed to next year, Suga said he is determined to stage them, as proof that mankind has overcome the virus. He stressed that his government will go all-out to hold the Games safely and securely.

He said he would have a “frank exchange” of views on bilateral relations with Wang, including on how to resume traffic between the two countries during the pandemic. Japanese media reported that Motegi would also raise concerns about China’s beefed-up activity in the East China Sea.

Wang may also make a courtesy call on Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who has so far sought to balance Japan’s deep economic reliance on China with addressing security worries, including Beijing’s claims over disputed East China Sea isles. While Suga has steered clear of the harsh anti-China rhetoric used by Japan’s ally the United States, he has moved to counter its influence by deepening ties with Australia and making his first overseas trip to Vietnam and Indonesia.

While encouraging its companies to diversify supply chains away from China, Japan is getting closer with Beijing through trade agreements. Earlier this month, China signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) with other 14 economies including U.S. allies Japan and South Korea, but the United States was not party to the deal.

It was the first multilateral trade deal for China, the first bilateral tariff reduction arrangement between Japan and China, and the first time China, Japan and South Korea have been in a single free-trade area. After Japan, Wang will fly to South Korea for talks that will include North Korea as well.

“For China, this visit is important for re-planning a strategy towards the two US-allies under the coming Biden administration,” said Toshiya Takahashi, an associate professor of international relations at Shoin University. The United States, a key security backer of Japan and South Korea, is going through a drawn-out leadership transition to new president-elect Joe Biden.

Experts said Wang’s diplomacy could help lay the groundwork for a trilateral summit with Japan and South Korea to push forward trade partnerships. Chinese President Xi Jinping said China would “actively consider” signing up for another regional free trade pact, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Japan, a key member state of the pact and next year’s chair, aims to expand the CPTPP, potentially paving ways for China to join after U.S. President Donald Trump walked away from the pact. Motegi, the Japanese foreign minister, said on Friday China’s expression of interests was “welcome” but it needs further assessment in accordance with the pact’s rules.

The mobile payment platform will use JCB’s unique QR code standard, the sources said. If customers top up with a compatible JCB card and make a payment, they will receive 6 to 16 miles per 1,000 yen.

With the prolonged virus spread continuing to weigh on its earnings, ANA has been trying to find ways to make profits utilizing data of its frequent flyer members. ANA Holdings Inc, ANA’s parent company, said in late October that it is expecting a record net loss of 510 billion yen in the current business year through March due to depressed air travel amid the pandemic.

The envisaged reduction of 6,500 employees, equivalent to 20% of its total workforce, from the end of fiscal 2019 will consist of 2,800 in Japan and 3,700 overseas. “We will thoroughly reduce costs to return to profitability in the next business year,” JTB President Eijiro Yamakita told a press briefing.

The company expects a record pretax loss of around 100 billion yen for the current business year through March, highlighting the severity of the hit to tourism from the pandemic that has led to travel restrictions globally. By offering early retirement and forgoing the recruitment of new graduates, JTB aims to reduce its total personnel to 22,500 by March 2022.

“We hope to develop the coffeehouse into a place where staff and local people can make connections while making sign language familiar to everyone,” Ayaka Yamada, a spokesperson for Starbucks Coffee Japan Ltd, said.

The store, including 23 full- and part-time workers, 19 of whom have hearing impairments, was the brainchild of a deaf employee of another Starbucks outlet. Opened in June, it is only Starbucks’ fifth outlet worldwide to operate with sign language as its main mode of communication.

Staff helped devise the store’s design and decor. One of the first sights to greet customers, for instance, is a sign with the Starbucks name in which each letter appears with the corresponding hand gesture in sign language illustrated above it. Further examples and explanations of sign language are given above the 3-meter-long counter — the space where a large overhead menu board is often displayed at other outlets.

For those hesitant to try out signing, orders can be placed through speech-to-text voice recognition software on a tablet at the register, by pointing to items on the menu, or writing on a digital notepad. A digital screen behind the counter shows the order number printed on the receipt and its counterpart in sign language. The same sign will then be used to indicate when a purchase is ready to be picked up.

The idea, says the company, is that customers, whether they have a hearing impediment or not, can enjoy the store’s immersive sign language experience.

Over the past seven days, an average of 5,337 new infections were reported by the RIVM, about 2% lower than the previous week. The stagnating figures, which have shown signs of rising in recent days, led Prime Minister Mark Rutte to caution that if people do not stick to the current restrictions in place the country might have to enforce them more strictly over the Christmas and New Year’s period than hoped.

Meanwhile, hospitals admitted 151 more patients with COVID-19 into regular care between the afternoons of Sunday and Monday. During that time, 23 people were admitted into intensive care, according to patient coordination office LCPS. The intensive care admissions also needs to fall to about 10 per day for coronavirus restrictions to be lifted responsibly, Kuipers said. An average of 33 ICU admissions were reported each of the past seven days.

The current admitted hospital total rose by 35 patients to 1,968, which was still nearly 8% lower than a week ago. That consistent decrease in the patient total since 3 November gave Kuipers some degree of optimism. The total number of ICU patients with the coronavirus disease fell by 4 to 536, while outside of the ICU hospitals were treating 1,432 patients, an increase of 39.

Kuipers was also very pleased about the news that another vaccine against the coronavirus, this one developed by the University of Oxford with AstraZeneca, showed up to 90% effectiveness in testing. “Very positive, it is absolutely positive,” he said.

The new data from the RIVM pushed the total number of Dutch infections closer to the half-million mark, with 489,818 diagnosed with the infection since the end of February. However, testing for the virus remained very low until 1 June when anyone in the country could arrange a test. Since then, the GGD municipal health services alone have completed over 4.1 million coronavirus tests.

The city with the most infected residents in Monday’s data was Amsterdam with 235, down 29% compared to the previous week. Rotterdam showed a similar 27% drop down to 200, and 6% fewer residents of The Hague tested positive for the infection, or 116 in total. Additionally, 54 more deaths were linked to COVID-19, slightly below the seven-day average of 60. To date, 8,945 people have died as a result of the disease.

A number of mayors asked for a ban on the possession of fireworks, because enforcers are now only allowed to act if they catch someone lighting fireworks. If they only have the fireworks on them, nothing can be done. But Minister Grapperhaus called this too legally complicated. He pointed out that a ban on the transport of fireworks basically comes down to the same thing.

The government wants no fireworks this New Year’s, so that fireworks-related injuries do not put extra pressure on a healthcare system which already carries the load of the coronavirus pandemic. To make this ban possible, legislation must be amended via an urgent procedure that must be approved by the European Commission. The government hopes to have this amendment in place by 15 December 15 latest. Until then, Netherlands residents are still allowed to transport 25 kilos of legal fireworks.

The rules will be enforced by municipal enforcement officers and the police. Enforcers can only fine people if they’re caught in the act of lighting fireworks. The police can search boxes, bags and trunks if they suspect someone is in possession of illegal fireworks, but they can not search preemptively for the presence of fireworks, according to the broadcaster.

People who still have fireworks at home will be allowed to keep them there, as long as they have no more than 25 kilos. They will only be allowed to light them next New Year’s however.

The vaccines will be provided free of charge to members of the public. The decision to get vaccinated will be voluntary, the Cabinet said in a statement, reaffirming what Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said at a press conference earlier this week.

The advice from the Gezondheidsraad focused on the elderly and medically vulnerable population because they are the most likely to require hospitalization if they become infected with the virus. The very first doses, which De Jonge expected to arrive in the Netherlands during the first quarter of 2021, will go towards the 155,000 nursing home residents, people with intellectual disabilities living in an institution, and the employees of those facilities.

After that, those over 60 with an underlying medical condition will be eligible for the vaccination, starting with the oldest people. From there, those over 60 without an underlying condition will be next in line, followed by anyone under 60 with such medical issues, and health care workers who come in contact with COVID-19 patients.

“The vaccine is our most important asset to overcome this crisis, to put the pandemic behind us,” De Jonge said on Friday. “Yet it is not the vaccine that will make the difference, but vaccination. It is the injection in the upper arm that prevents disease, and saves lives, and ensures that we can pick up our old life bit by bit.”

By the end of the first quarter, De Jonge believes that 3.5 million people will be vaccinated. There are an estimated five million people in the Netherlands who are elderly, have underlying medical conditions, or who are care workers with COVID-19 patients. Some 17.4 million people were living in the Netherlands at the start of 2020.

The first vaccine deliveries are expected to come from AstraZeneca (11.7 million doses ordered) and Pfizer/BioNTech (7.8 million). A report in Reuters published this week said that the European Union was paying 15.50 euros per dose delivered by Pfizer. A decision on the safety of these two vaccine candidates was expected from the European Medicines Agency by the end of the year.

The EMA was also expected to decide on vaccines from Moderna and Johnson&Johnson, the latter having been developed by Leiden-based pharmaceutical firm Janssen. A deal with Moderna for 3.1 million units was still being negotiated, with 7.8 million doses of the Janssen vaccine pre-ordered. Deals were also closed with Curevac for 8.8 million units, and Sanofi for 11.7 million doses. All vaccine candidates except the Janssen product were expected to require two doses per person.

Over the past days, the number of coronavirus infections remained at a high level and there is still a lot of pressure on the healthcare system. The OMT therefore advised against a further relaxation of the coronavirus measures for the time being.

The current plan is for Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Health Minister Hugo de Jonge to hold a press conference on 8 December. The OMT will give the government updated advice on how to proceed before then, RTL’s sources said.

The obligation applies to all public indoor spaces, including shops, museums, restaurants and theaters, though people can take off their mask if they are in their fixed seat. This means masks must be worn when you arrive at a restaurant or cinema, for example, but can be taken off at your table or in your seat. You have to put the mask back on if you get up for any reason. Face masks were already mandatory for passengers using public transport. From 1 December this will also apply at stations, airports, bus and tram stops.

In all types of education, except primary education, teachers, lecturers, students and other staff must wear a mask when moving through the school building. The mask can be removed during class when everyone has a fixed seat or standing place. Gym, singing, theater, dance and certain forms of practical education are excluded from the mask obligation. In contact businesses like hair salons, driving schools, and nail salons, both the professional and the client must wear a mask.

People who cannot wear a mask due to a disability or illness are exempted from the face mask obligation. Though the police and enforcement officers can ask someone to demonstrate that this exemption applies to them. Buildings intended for the practice of religion, like churches, mosques, temples and synagogues, are also exempted from the obligation. Face masks are also not required during sports, acting, musical rehearsals or performances, and when giving interviews on radio and TV.

Face masks are made mandatory through a ministerial regulation, legally substantiated by the coronavirus law. It will initially apply for three months, after which extension is possible. The regulation will be withdrawn as soon as it is no longer medially necessary. The lower house of the Dutch parliament, has seven days to consider the regulation.

According to NRC, the employees were put under high pressure to sign for voluntary departure. They were informed of their dismissal via video call on 12 June, were disconnected from all internal systems a day later, received daily reminders from Uber to sign for voluntary departure, and were told that “their position ceased to exist”, the newspaper wrote.

About 10 of the 200 employees refused to sign for voluntary departure. A number of them received a letter from the UWV on Thursday, saying that Uber could not provide sufficient arguments to justify the dismissal.

Uber said the lay-offs were the result of “the dramatic impact of the pandemic and the unpredictable nature of a possible recovery,” according to the newspaper. But according to the UWV, the company could not sufficiently demonstrate that the work reduction the company is facing is of a structural nature. UWV also pointed out that Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi repeatedly told his staff that the revenue decline was slower than initially thought. And in a staff meeting on 1 September, Khosrowshahi said that the layoffs were “stricter than absolutely necessary”.

Trade union FNV is “very pleased” by the UWV’s decision, a spokesperson said to NRC. “This shows that powerful companies such as Uber are simply bound by Dutch dismissal law if they want to fire employees.”

Currently, 16,000 locations sell tobacco products. That will fall by 5,600 within two years once cigarette vending machines are banned. After 6,400 supermarkets halt tobacco sales, only 6,000 retailers will sell the products.

“With this decision and the course we have set today, we will prevent a great many unnecessary deaths and medical suffering,” State Secretary Paul Blokhuis said in a statement. Other steps taken to make smoking less attractive was to change the packaging to bland, uniform boxes, instead of letting manufacturers use their own packaging. Supermarkets are also not allowed to display cigarettes and other tobacco products.

The price of cigarettes will also increase to 10 euros in 2023. Earlier this year, a majority in parliament supported a proposal to ban cigarette sales in supermarkets and gas station stores

These new plans come amid a broader effort by the NS and its European counterparts to expand train travel across Europe. Earlier this year, NS announced that it is looking to build a direct train connection between Zurich and Amsterdam.

At the start of this year, KLM introduced its so-called AirRail tickets that cover both the flight tickets as well as train connections. Further measures are being taken to implement the action plan.

The initiative is seen as an effort to move to more sustainable travelling. “KLM has been one of the most sustainable airlines in the world for 16 years, according to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, and last year we introduced the Fly Responsibly sustainability initiative,” says Pieter Elbers, a KLM spokesperson. “We see flying as a conscious choice for consumers and the train is a logical, sustainable alternative if you want to travel a short distance.”

With this new initiative, KLM could be eligible for the government’s multi-billion Euro support package. Required conditions include the reduction of CO2 emissions and the number of night flights. According to a KLM spokesperson, this was not why they introduced the plan and that the ideas had been in circulation before the support package was announced.

According to the bank, this could also have repercussions on demand in the coming years, because costs will increase. Exporters of machinery, chemical products and food, among others, will particularly be affected because they do a lot of business with the UK.

A hard Brexit will have even bigger consequences, because in addition to to extra trade barriers, there will also be import tariffs. A no-deal Brexit also puts nearly 70,000 jobs at risk. “Dutch companies in various sectors therefore have a lot to gain from a successful outcome of the Brexit negotiations,” ABN Amro said.