Japan, which saw a sharp decline in cases, experiences a surge again with the influx of Omicron

On the 7th, pedestrians wearing masks were seen on the streets of Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. The Japanese government decided on the same day to apply focused measures, a pre-emergency stage quarantine policy, to three prefectures with severe COVID-19 spread: Okinawa, Yamaguchi, and Hiroshima.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] At the end of last year, COVID-19 cases sharply declined in Japan, where the term 'Delta self-destruction theory' even emerged, but now infections are surging again. The main cause is considered to be the influx of the Omicron variant, which has a higher transmissibility than the Delta variant. Other factors include the impact of a cluster infection at the U.S. military bases in Okinawa, low third-dose vaccination rates, and increased population movement during the year-end and New Year holidays.

At the end of last year, Japan's average daily confirmed cases per month dropped to 150 in November, raising expectations for the end of COVID-19. In addition to vaccinations, there was even analysis suggesting that the Delta variant introduced into Japan lost its transmissibility due to excessive mutation.

However, the situation changed with the introduction of the Omicron variant. Last month, the average daily confirmed cases per month rose again to 213, and in the first week of this month, from the 4th to the 10th, 37,732 new cases were reported. Although the number of confirmed cases on the 10th was 6,438, significantly lower than 8,476 on the 8th and 8,243 on the 9th, this is likely due to reduced testing during the three-day holiday from the 8th to the 10th, as the 10th was 'Coming of Age Day.'

The rapid increase in confirmed cases is mainly attributed to the spread of the Omicron variant. Since the first Omicron case was confirmed on November 30 last year, 2,244 people have been diagnosed with Omicron as of the 9th of this month. About half of them, 1,116 people, have no recent history of foreign travel and are community infections with unknown transmission routes. Although the confirmed Omicron cases account for 5.9% of the total 37,904 confirmed cases during this period, the actual proportion of Omicron is likely higher since the Japanese government does not test all confirmed cases for Omicron. In fact, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced that from December 27 to January 2, a survey of about 2,000 confirmed cases found that 46% were suspected to be infected with Omicron.

The rapid spread of Omicron is linked to cluster infections among the U.S. military stationed in Japan. Okinawa, Yamaguchi, and Hiroshima prefectures, where emergency quarantine measures were implemented from the 9th due to the rapid spread of COVID-19, all host U.S. military bases. Especially in Okinawa Prefecture, where bases are densely located, new confirmed cases were 1,759 on the 8th and 1,533 on the 9th, accounting for 20.8% and 18.6% of Japan’s total confirmed cases, respectively.

Fearing the influx of Omicron, Japan quickly closed its borders, but there was a loophole in that U.S. military personnel stationed in Japan were not required to undergo COVID-19 testing upon entry and exit. Despite the occurrence of cluster infections within the bases, personnel were freely moving outside the bases, presumably spreading the virus to nearby areas. Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu stated that as of the afternoon of the previous day, 3,638 COVID-19 infections had been identified within U.S. military facilities in Japan. Notably, 2,302 of these infections were at bases in Okinawa.

Low third-dose vaccination rates are also considered to contribute to the rapid spread. As of the previous day, Japan’s third-dose COVID-19 vaccination rate stood at only 0.7%. By January 7, only 752,799 people had received the third dose. While major countries worldwide have shortened the interval for the third dose to as little as three months, Japan’s standard interval remains eight months, with a shortened interval of six to seven months only for healthcare workers and the elderly. Additionally, vaccination progress has been hindered by insufficient vaccine supply.

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