Coronavirus: Japan disease expert hits out at slow government response

Kentaro Iwata slammed a lack of clear messaging, reluctance to impose strict lockdowns and said restrictions might now be needed ‘for a long, long time’

He previously raised the alarm in February about the ‘chaotic’ quarantine procedures on board the virus-hit Diamond Princess cruise ship

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Commuters wearing face marks pictured during rush hour on Monday in a crowded railway station in Tokyo. Photo: AP

Published: 3:45pm, 20 Apr 2020Updated: 11:58pm, 20 Apr 2020

The Japanese scientist who decried Tokyo’s handling of the coronavirus-ravaged Diamond Princess cruise ship in February has again criticised the government for being slow to change its coronavirus strategy and for not advocating an effective lockdown of the capital, amid a sharp rise in cases there and nationwide.

Kentaro Iwata, an expert in infectious diseases at Kobe University Hospital, said on Monday that officials were failing to provide clear messaging to the public on the need to stay at home and keep a safe distance from other people despite the recent declaration of a month-long state of emergency.

“If you block the route to further transmission, further transmission will not occur and the epidemic will slow down, and the most effective way of stopping further transmission is a so-called lockdown, particularly in the Tokyo area,” Iwata said during a video streaming event hosted by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced a state of emergency for Japan on April 7, calling on the public to reduce contact with others by 70-80 per cent but insisting there was no need to copy the harsh lockdowns of countries such as France and Italy.

Under the declaration, prefectural governors can ask people to remain at home and close non-essential businesses but have no legal authority to enforce compliance through penalties such as fines – a softer approach widely attributed to bitter memories of civil rights abuses perpetrated by the military government during the second world war.