"Wearing a Mask Is Like Wearing Underwear" - Dependency Deepens in Japan, Mask Use Continues Despite Heatstroke Outbreaks

Japan: "Prioritize Heatstroke Measures Over Mask Wearing"

At the 'Interpets' International Pet Expo held in Tokyo, Japan last March, visitors wearing protective face masks are looking at pet clothes at a booth. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] Amid a surge of children being hospitalized due to heatstroke during physical education classes in Japan, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has sent an official notice to schools nationwide instructing that elementary, middle, and high school students be guided to remove their masks during PE classes, sports club activities, and when commuting to and from school in the summer.

Since the beginning of June, as the weather has warmed, cases of student heatstroke have been occurring almost daily in Japan. On the 10th, eight students at an elementary school in Numazu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, were taken to the hospital after complaining of headaches and nausea following a physical fitness test. On the same day, 17 children at an elementary school in Osaka City experienced heatstroke symptoms after participating in a relay race during PE class, with one of them being transported to the hospital. It was reported that 14 of the 17 children were wearing masks during the class.

According to Japanese media such as the Mainichi Shimbun, Shinsuke Suematsu, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, stated at a press conference following the Cabinet meeting on the 10th, "We have repeatedly communicated to schools to prioritize heatstroke prevention over mask-wearing to prevent COVID-19 infection during school life, but recently, many children have collapsed from the heat and been taken to hospitals," and announced that related guidelines have been reissued.

The guidelines recommend that students remove their masks during indoor and outdoor PE classes, club activities, and while commuting to and from school. While mask removal is the basic rule during these times, students are also instructed to avoid conversation as much as possible. This is a slightly more relaxed measure compared to the current nationwide mask-wearing guidelines issued by the Japanese government.

Currently, Japan recommends that masks can be removed outdoors when there is no conversation, and indoors if maintaining a distance of more than 2 meters from others without conversation. However, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on the 31st of last month that a "mask dependence syndrome" has emerged, especially among young Japanese people, who are afraid to take off their masks.

The Yomiuri reported, "Some young people refer to masks as 'kao pantsu' (顔パンツ, meaning 'face panties'), implying that removing a mask is like taking off underwear." In a survey conducted by the polling agency Japan Information, 54.5% of respondents said they would continue wearing masks even after COVID-19 ends.

Concerns about discomfort in removing masks despite the lifting of outdoor mask mandates have also been echoed in South Korea. In April, the employment information company Incruit conducted a survey of 1,217 adult men and women regarding outdoor mask-wearing, and 78.1% responded that they would continue wearing masks even after the outdoor mask mandate was lifted. Additionally, 26.3% said they would keep wearing masks even after the pandemic ends.

Among netizens, reactions included comments such as, "I was enjoying the 'magikkun' effect (a newly coined term referring to people whose appearance improves by covering part of their face with a mask), so I'm scared to take off my mask," "I shaved less often, which was convenient," and "I didn't have to wear makeup."

Meanwhile, on the morning of the 7th, Lim Sook-young, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, stated at a regular briefing, "Indoor masks are a very effective means of infection control at a relatively low cost," and added, "The last line of defense in infection control will probably be indoor masks."

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