"Is It Okay to Take a Vacation Amid COVID-19 Spread?"... Japan Abe Prime Minister's Office 'Concern'

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] As the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) continues to spread in Japan, the Prime Minister's Office is reportedly facing deep concerns over Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's summer vacation, according to a report by Mainichi Shimbun on the 30th.

According to the report, since Abe's second term began in December 2012, he has spent his summer vacation during the 'Obon' period, which is similar to Korea's Chuseok holiday, by visiting his late father's grave in Yamaguchi Prefecture, meeting local constituency figures, and then staying at his villa in Narusawa Village, Yamanashi Prefecture, at the foot of Mount Fuji.

However, with COVID-19 spreading again in Japan recently, if he takes his summer vacation as in previous years, he could face severe criticism, causing his aides to be concerned. A senior official from the Prime Minister's Office told Mainichi that Abe has been working continuously for 147 days from January 26 to June 20 due to COVID-19, stating that "his mind is healthy, but his body is tired."

Initially, Abe was reportedly considering taking a summer vacation at his villa by adding three days to the four-day holiday from the 23rd to the 26th. However, as COVID-19 showed signs of re-spreading and damage from heavy rains increased across Japan, the need to respond to these issues grew, making the vacation difficult.

Instead, on the 24th, Abe stayed at his official residence except for the time he was at the Prime Minister's Office, meeting no outside visitors throughout the day, and from the 27th to the 29th of this month, he only went to work in the afternoons. He is scheduled to attend various commemorative ceremonies in early next month.

Meanwhile, on the same day, Tokyo reported 367 new COVID-19 cases, surpassing the previous highest daily record of 366 cases (on the 23rd). As of the previous day, the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Japan stood at 34,220.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.