How Asia-Pacific Nations Are Losing a War They Already Won
Customers dine in front of an Izakaya restaurant in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo on May 28. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga extended a state of emergency that includes Tokyo and other major cities, a last-ditch effort to rein in Covid-19 infections ahead of the Olympics.
Photographer: Soichiro Koriyama/BloombergThe Tokyo Olympics were supposed to be a victory celebration, or as former Japan Self Defense Forces chief Katsutoshi Kawano put it, “proof that the world has defeated the virus.”
Some of the world has indeed triumphed (at least for now). But alas not Japan, where Covid-19 cases have spiked again. While Americans gather for maskless parties on Memorial Day weekend, Japanese authorities just extended a health emergency in Tokyo and other major cities. This with less than two months to go before the opening ceremonies.