[sumo] Fwd: TAKE 5, Dec. 31: Snow coming❄️, Suga stress😰, entry ban🛬, sumo’s year🎊, good riddance👋🏻

Thu Dec 31 06:45:42 EST 2020

A review of the year, including sumo.

Gaijingai

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Take 5 | The Japan Times <noreply at japantimes.co.jp>
Date: Thu, Dec 31, 2020 at 12:23 AM
Subject: TAKE 5, Dec. 31: Snow coming❄️, Suga stress😰, entry ban🛬, sumo’s
year🎊, good riddance👋🏻
To: <jpaitv at gmail.com>

The relentless rise in new coronavirus cases shows no sign of abating ahead
of the new year, with Tokyo confirming 944 infections, just five shy ...

<http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/nzqBDXIBmIId9TsMkCSP/8479861/-1/-1/10215?attrs=0>

Your Thursday 5-minute Japan update

1. Heavy snow to bring in new year

The relentless rise in new coronavirus cases shows no sign of abating
<http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/_BhssnYBH-JQlp5eN1uZ/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=0>
ahead of the new year, with Tokyo confirming 944 infections, just five shy
of Saturday’s record tally, and Aichi and Fukuoka prefectures logging
record new cases.

Private facilities providing coronavirus polymerase chain reaction tests
have been flooded with reservations
<http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/rTQFpHYBHdmOcgcUNY_2/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=1>
as people seek reassurance before visiting their parents’ homes over
holiday period.

Potentially more infectious variants of the virus that surfaced in the U.K.
and South Africa have been detected in Japan over the past week, raising
alarm that this could accelerate the spread across the country. But what do
we know about these variants?
<http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/XxiVsnYBH-JQlp5ehWoq/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=2>
Osamu Tsukimori offers an explainer about the new strains and how they
might affect when we can return to some semblance of normal life.
[image: Snow expected over New Year's in Japan | NIPPON TV NEWS 24 JAPAN]
<http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/rgnvtXYBIOvpF0ggNlL3/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=3>Snow
expected over New Year's in Japan | NIPPON TV NEWS 24 JAPAN

This New Year's holiday period — normally the busiest season for the
tourism business — is effectively a write-off for the industry
<http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/NTusrHYBHdmOcgcULVGd/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=4>,
compounded by the suspension of the Go To Travel discount campaign until
Jan. 11, at least. Tourist spots from Okinawa to Hokkaido are strangely
quiet for this time of year.

Officials are also warning that heavy snowfall across wide areas of Japan
over the holiday period could disrupt public transit and prompt road
closures. Heavy snow is expected
<http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/rg9XqXYBH-JQlp5eQ-2r/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=5>
mostly in regions facing the Sea of Japan, and the land ministry has urged
people to avoid nonessential outings. Those who do venture out should be
aware of the risk becoming stuck due to heavy snow, the ministry warns.

*Wednesday’s (and Tuesday’s) new COVID-19 cases by prefecture (30 or over):
Tokyo 944 (856), Kanagawa 432 (395), Osaka 307 (302), Aichi 294 (235),
Saitama 244 (300), Chiba 218 (216), Fukuoka 189 (151), Hyogo 188 (193),
Hokkaido 133 (87), Kyoto 96 (84), Hiroshima 84 (88), Gifu 67 (74), Gunma 56
(29), Tochigi 56 (83), Okinawa 47 (40), Shizuoka 46 (27), Kumamoto 44 (55),
Ibaraki 37 (43), Miyagi 34 (39), Okayama 32 (23), Nara 30 (24). Source:
Japan COVID-19 Coronavirus Tracker
<http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/6cI5RnMBJ3BxgwBObHR1/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=6>*

2. Lessons from past PMs

The end of the year, and perhaps a chance to start afresh, can’t come soon
enough for Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. He came to office on a wave of
popularity, pledging to combat the coronavirus and fix Japan’s economy, but
three months on, he seems to be struggling
<http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/lxeYsXYBH-JQlp5eKa6j/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=0>
to find his feet, AP reports.

Suga’s support ratings have plummeted amid flaring virus outbreaks and
scandals within the ruling party, even as the economy appears to be
recovering. On Monday, a Nikkei newspaper survey found approval ratings for
Suga’s government had sunk more than 30 points to 42% from 74% in late
September.

Indeed, Suga’s tenure is looking worryingly similar
<http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/cxsLiXYBHdmOcgcUR1c5/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=1>
to that of a Liberal Democratic Party bigwig who became PM in 2008, only to
lead his coalition into its worst election defeat ever within a year. Both
leaders enjoyed high levels of support soon after they took office but saw
ratings plunge amid missteps and high public spending.
[image: PM Suga hopes to strengthen health care systems before new year
holidays | NIPPON TV NEWS 24 JAPAN]
<http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/TELvtXYBHdmOcgcUNmr9/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=2>PM
Suga hopes to strengthen health care systems before new year holidays |
NIPPON TV NEWS 24 JAPAN

The last thing Suga needs in 2021 is tension within the coalition between
the LDP and junior partner Komeito, which has been solid since the turn of
the millennium. But now — faced with policy differences and generational
changes, along with two key elections — that union could be put under strain
<http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/8fack3YBJsiD1CeiAe-G/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=3>
as never before, explains Eric Johnston in an FYI.

Also not helping matters for Suga is the ongoing focus on his predecessor
<http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/exiwsnYBH-JQlp5e_nWv/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=4>,
Shinzo Abe. Although Abe won’t face criminal charges over a political
funding scandal he is embroiled in — despite having made 118 false
statements in the Diet about the matter — the former PM's behavior could
taint Suga’s tenure, writes Johnston. After all, Suga was Abe’s right-hand
man at the time of the hotel dinners at the center of the furor.

But someone still loves scandal-hit Abe: U.S. President Donald Trump
has awarded
the prestigious Legion of Merit
<http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/AxpYiHYBHdmOcgcUY7Yw/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=5>
to his golfing buddy for his “leadership and vision for a free and open
Indo-Pacific,” the U.S. government said last week. Can you guess which
other two prime ministers received the honor? Here’s a big clue: Quad.

3. A lingering scar

Alarmed by the appearance of new COVID-19 variants, Japan has re-imposed
strict curbs on travelers from overseas, barring most foreign nonresidents
from entry. But technicalities in the policy have sparked confusion among
new visa applicants and residents over whether they need to scrap plans to
leave or return to Japan. Magdalena Osumi unpicks the new rules
<http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/TgnirXYBJsiD1Cei7DS3/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=0>
in a Q&A.

The new curbs have triggered a sense of deja vu for non-Japanese residents,
many of whom were deprived of access for months to their livelihoods and
separated from families due to the country’s strict border controls. As
questions — and anger — linger over the controversial policy, records and
reports from behind the scenes of Japan’s fight against the pandemic have
begun to emerge.

As Osumi reports, these records highlight the limits of the nation’s
immigration strategy
<http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/egzPsXYBJsiD1CeiJdBs/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=1>,
with decisions apparently made ad hoc amid chaos, and reveal the insecure
status of foreign nationals in Japan and underlying discriminatory
attitudes within society toward immigrants and expatriates.
[image: COVID-19: Japan tightens quarantine measures for arrivals from more
countries | CNA]
<http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/yg_vtXYBJsiD1CeiNj_1/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=2>COVID-19:
Japan tightens quarantine measures for arrivals from more countries | CNA

The re-entry ban certainly hasn’t done Japan’s image as a destination for
expats any favors. China’s intensifying crackdown on Hong Kong had raised
hopes Tokyo may finally have a better chance of competing as a destination
for finance types, but Japan is still a long way from making the numbers
work
<http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/x_1ap3YBIOvpF0ggZlyt/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=3>,
Bloomberg reports.

Last month, Kyodo reported that the government plans to implement tax breaks
<http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/Uoq6_XUBN3p9SHMOgHAr/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=4>
for long-term foreign residents as part of efforts to turn Japan into a
major international financial hub. Now, Japan imposes an inheritance tax on
foreign nationals’ overseas assets if they live in the country for more
than 10 years, but a planned special measure would make them exempt.

But inheritance tax is just one obstacle, Bloomberg points out. Finance
industry stars with million-dollar salaries, for example, would have to
hand over half their earnings to the government for the privilege of
working in Tokyo regardless. And the difference between take-home pay on a
$400,000 salary between Japan and Singapore is instructive. No wonder some
big earners engineer their schedules so they spend less than half the year
in Japan and don’t qualify as tax residents.

4. Some year for sumo

It’s nearly *basho* time again! End the year up-to-date on Japan’s national
sport with these five reads:

   - Takakeisho leads the three *ozeki*
   <http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/dfFBlHYBIOvpF0ggEfwA/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=0>
   in the *banzuke* rankings released last week ahead of the New Year
   Basho. The sport’s second-highest rank illustrates both the promise and the
   peril of sumo’s elite wrestlers: While Takakeisho will try to seize a
   second straight championship and earn promotion to *yokozuna*, his two
   fellow ozeki need at least eight wins just to keep their ozeki status.
   - Yokozuna Kakuryu held his final practice of the year Monday ahead of
   the basho, where he hopes to overcome a run of injuries
   <http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/fBJ9rHYBH-JQlp5eDv1J/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=1>
   that have forced his withdrawal from the past three meets. The pressure is
   on: After both grand champs withdrew from recent basho, Kakuryu and Hakuho
   received a harsh “warning” from the Yokozuna Deliberation Council to
   recover or else.

[image: Sumo's future stars face off at the All Japan Sumo Championships |
THE JAPAN TIMES]
<http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/rQnvtXYBIOvpF0ggNlLs/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=2>Sumo's
future stars face off at the All Japan Sumo Championships | THE JAPAN TIMES

   - Sumo somehow managed to keep going and provided much-needed
   distraction in a tough year. Unpacking all that happened
   <http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/uQ0ns3YBJsiD1CeiH33C/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=3>
   over the past 12 months is no simple task, writes John Gunning. Every basho
   in 2020 contained what felt like several tournaments-worth of storylines,
   while events outside the ring at times came close to overshadowing the
   relentlessly thrilling action inside it.
   - If the *makuuchi* division is sumo’s version of the Top 40 (or, more
   precisely, 42), tiers 2 and 3 (*jūryō* and *makushita*) make up the
   equivalent of the sport’s B-sides and album tracks. But just as with music,
   there are plenty of gems to be found if you’re willing to dig a little
   deeper, writes Gunning, as he introduces readers to some of the names to
   watch
   <http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/LSdzjnYBHdmOcgcUHmrM/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=4>
   in the lower levels.
   - Details of the short, but extremely eventful, sumo life
   <http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/rCv7anYBGBwZJyic2Kr6/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=5>
   of American wrestler Araiwa — aka Cal Martin — had been lost to the mists
   of time until the California native resurfaced in sumo circles online
   recently. Gunning spoke to the now-71-year-old about his story, from the
   dare that got him into the sport to his retirement after threatening to
   kill his stablemaster’s son.

5. Good riddance, 2020

It’s time to put 2020 to bed — not with supper or a bedtime story, but with
a pillow pressed firmly against its face. But before you turn the page on
the whole dreadful year, check out these bookmark features on the way
things were:

   - “May you live in interesting times” goes the curse. By that standard,
   2020 was captivating. One thing affected everyone worldwide: COVID-19. And
   in Japan, the international community was hit particularly hard by one
   policy regarding its containment, notes Debito Arudou in his roundup of
   human rights issues
   <http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/TULvtXYBHdmOcgcUNmr-/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=0>
   .
   - Japan has not escaped the COVID-19 catastrophe, yet 12 months after
   the coronavirus was identified in China, there is hope for a better year
   ahead amid rapid progress on vaccines and treatments. So, who was up and
   who was down in Asia in 2020?
   <http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/Af_gjnYBH-JQlp5e7IuF/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=1>
   Curtis S. Chin and Jose B. Collazo offer their annual assessment.

[image: Deep Dive podcast, Episode 76: So long, 2020 | THE JAPAN TIMES]
<http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/zg00s3YBJsiD1CeilYGI/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=2>Deep
Dive podcast, Episode 76: So long, 2020 | THE JAPAN TIMES

   - The 75th anniversary of the end of World War II came amid a pandemic.
   Eric Margolis takes a moment to look back to remember two people in
   particular who died in that global crisis — two girls who came to
   symbolize the horrors of war
   <http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/XwIcp3YBJsiD1CeiUspz/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=3>,
   one German-Dutch, the other Japanese.
   - In May, footage of the murder of George Floyd was posted online and
   resulted in a month of protest in the U.S. and elsewhere, including in
   Japan. Nache Buie takes a look back at the Black Lives Matter movement
   here
   <http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/-9Ypg3YBIOvpF0ggDDPV/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=4>
   with some of the organizers, and speculates on how activism might develop
   here in the decade to come.
   - And finally, in the last edition of the Deep Dive podcast for 2020
   <http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/zg00s3YBJsiD1CeilYGI/8479861/-1/-1/10281?attrs=0&order=5>,
   hosts Oscar Boyd and Shaun McKenna hear from listeners — from as far away
   as India, Australia and Brazil, to name but a few — about what got them
   through the year.

Deep Dive will be back in 2021, as will T5. A Happy New Year to all our
readers, and thank you for sticking with us through this tumultuous period
in history. Feedback on what we are doing right and wrong is always
welcome, via the email address below. See you on the other side.

<http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/3z7IDXIBs8Bf-7b-eDSp/8479861/-1/-1/10216?attrs=0>
<http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/KDrIDXIBmIId9TsMeDKv/8479861/-1/-1/10216?attrs=0>
<http://api-esp-ap.piano.io/-c/dg_IDXIBFT-fHk2HeBur/8479861/-1/-1/10216?attrs=0>

*Compiled by Ben Stubbings *
*Feedback:  take5 at japantimes.co.jp <take5 at japantimes.co.jp>*

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-- 
Best regards,
Jeffrey Anderson

For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these:
It might have been.
- John Greenleaf Whittier
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