Variants Emerging in Japan, Politicians Attend Year-End Party with Assistants... "Concerns About Infection" Excuse Is Even More Ridiculous

On the 22nd, members of the Nishio City Council in Nishio City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, bowed their heads in apology at the Nishio City Hall. Fourteen city council members held a banquet on the 18th at a local inn, accompanied by female hostesses.
[Image source = Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] Amid the alarming spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in Japan, some politicians have come under fire for holding drinking parties accompanied by female hostesses. What’s worse, they have been further criticized for justifying the presence of female hostesses by citing "concerns about COVID-19 infection."

According to foreign media including the Tokyo Shimbun on the 27th, it was revealed that 14 members of the Nishio City Council in Aichi Prefecture held a ryokan dinner party with alcohol on the 18th, sparking controversy. The main issue was that they invited three female hostesses to accompany them during the approximately two-hour drinking session at a ryokan operated by a fellow council member.

When the controversy erupted, they apologized for their "reckless behavior" but defended themselves by saying, "We called female hostesses as a preventive measure against COVID-19."

They added, "If attendees repeatedly sit down and stand up to pour drinks for others, the possibility of spreading the COVID-19 virus increases, so for safety, we called masked hostesses."

A similar controversy arose in the Yamazoe Village Council in Nara Prefecture, where five village council members hired three hostesses and held a drinking party in a nearby village, causing a stir.

Kazuyuki Kawabata, chairman of the village council, explained, "Normally, we would pour drinks for each other, but due to the current (COVID-19) situation, we called hostesses to pour drinks."

In response to their excuses, an infectious disease expert pointed out, "It is absurd to claim infection prevention as the reason for hiring hostesses at a drinking party," and emphasized, "In such situations, it is appropriate to pour and drink your own drinks."

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is speaking at the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Response Headquarters meeting held on the evening of the 14th at the Prime Minister's Official Residence in Tokyo.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, politicians in Japan are facing backlash for reckless behavior that contrasts sharply with the recent surge in COVID-19 cases.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga stirred controversy by attending a steak dinner party with a total of eight people on the night of the 14th. Although Prime Minister Suga apologized again, saying, "I deeply reflect on this," Japanese netizens criticized, saying, "Since Suga has this attitude, local Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers are also careless," and "This is why people do not follow requests for restraint. In regular companies, even mentioning 'year-end parties' is difficult; the gap is too large."

Japan recorded 3,881 new COVID-19 cases on the 27th. The cumulative number of confirmed cases reached 219,146, with 3,247 deaths. Japan has been setting daily records with 3,270 cases on the 23rd, 3,740 on the 24th, and 3,831 on the 25th. Recently, cases of the UK variant of COVID-19 have also been reported, causing a major upheaval.

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