Coronavirus: Osaka’s live music scene identified as potential hot spot as Japan lockdown intensifies

Osaka reported its first coronavirus case on February 27. As of Sunday, it had 55 cases, of which 49 were linked to four small music venues

Japanese government has closed schools and zoos while postponing sporting events. But smaller venues, such as restaurants and clubs, remain a concern

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A performance at FANJ twice in Osaka. Photo: Twitter

Published: 6:00pm, 10 Mar 2020Updated: 6:07pm, 10 Mar 2020

A number of small music clubs in Japan’s western city of Osaka have emerged as a new transmission ground for the coronavirus, showing the difficulty of stemming the outbreak even as authorities have focused on stopping large gatherings.

Japan has closed schools, zoos and theme parks, and drastically scaled back public events since the outbreak. The annual spring sumo tournament is being held in Osaka without spectators, leaving public broadcaster NHK to televise bouts of wrestlers facing off in an eerily quiet stadium.

Despite those steps, and the government’s urging telecommuting, there are signs that smaller crowds – including those at restaurants and tiny “live houses” where fans stand cheek to jowl to hear live music – are spreading the virus.

Osaka reported its first coronavirus case on February 27. As of Sunday, it had 55 cases, of which 49 were linked to four small music venues, the local government said.

Many of the cases concentrated on three dates: February 15, 16, and 19 – but a possible cluster-type spread wasn’t identified until early March, Osaka’s daily announcements show. Many of those infected were in their 30s and 40s and showed minimal or no symptoms.

Thirty-four cases were linked to one venue in particular – Soap opera classics Umeda – and another 18 to Live House Arc. About 100 people attended each performance at the clubs.

Another 19 people outside Osaka, from as far away as Hokkaido, the northernmost island, and Kumamoto, in the southernmost main island of Kyushu, have also been traced back to those two venues, authorities said.

Sushi chain operator Sushiro Global Holdings said on Tuesday it would temporarily close one of its branches in neighbouring Hyogo prefecture to disinfect it after an employee who had been to one of the music venues on February 16 tested positive. The worker had displayed no symptoms, it said.