November 24 According to a report by Japan’s Kyodo News Agency, on the 24th local time, the Japanese government announced that due to the continued spread of the coronavirus epidemic, the target areas of the tourism support project Go To Travel will be temporarily excluded from Sapporo and Osaka for three weeks. During this period, people who travel to these two cities will not be entitled to tourism subsidies.
The information picture shows the Japanese people resting next to the sculpture in front of Shibuya Station. Photo by Lu Shaowei, reporter of China News Service
According to the report, if the scheduled travel is cancelled, the loss of travel agencies and accommodation facilities will be borne by the central government of Japan. Japan’s Minister of Land Transport Kazuka Akaba said that the upper limit is 35% of the travel cost.
It is reported that on the 23rd local time, Hokkaido Governor Naoji Suzuki said that he was considering suspending the project in Sapporo. Yofumi Yoshimura, governor of Osaka Prefecture, also said on the same day, “I think it is necessary to stop accepting in Osaka.”
Regarding Tokyo’s response to the epidemic, Governor Yuriko Koike said that the non-target areas should be judged by the central government. Kazuka Akaba said, “It makes no sense to talk about which party should judge. Both the central government and prefectures have the responsibility to protect the lives and lives of the people.”
According to reports, the Japanese government’s COVID-19 Response Team has recently recommended that the “Go To” project should be adjusted, believing that it will “help to calm the epidemic at an early date and ultimately reduce the impact on the economy”. On the 21st local time, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiro Kan announced that he would make adjustments, and the Ministry of Communications of Japan was responsible for discussing the specific operation.
