Chairman Kobayashi’s Comments on Expanded State of Emergency

August 3, 2021

The Japanese government has expanded the latest state of emergency from Tokyo and Okinawa to Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa and Osaka. It has also been extended until August 31. This is unfortunate news, however I believe that the decision was both inevitable and correct considering how critical the situation in Japan continues to be. Due to the rapid spread of the more contagious Delta variant, the daily case count has now exceeded 10,000 and is in record-high territory.

Vaccination is the key to curbing the spread of infections. While some progress has been made on the vaccine rollout, there is much left to be done. I call on the government to continue to do its utmost to secure vaccines, supply them rapidly, and vaccinate Japan’s working community as quickly as possible. Furthermore, our leaders must send a stern message to citizens across the nation to ensure that everyone understands just how stressed our healthcare system has become. This is both a global and national crisis, and it will not be resolved until all of us truly appreciate its severity and make the right choices to end it.

All members of the JFTC remain committed to doing everything in their power to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We shall continue to promote telecommuting and digitalization, help to make vaccinations more easily and readily available to employees and others, and take the steps needed to ensure business continuity and growth.