After three full years of public masking, Japanese government officials recently declared that people are now allowed to uncover their faces, if they so wish. An international school teacher I know told me that this news prompted her Japanese student to exclaim, “This is the happiest day of my life!” Probably that is an indication of how unhappy the masking has made many children.

In many respects, official policies in regard to Covid impoverished people’s lives. Here I am mostly leaving aside conspicuous, concrete harms, such as the devastating economic damage caused by the lockdowns and the harmful health impact of Covid-related measures. This article will focus on other significant damages to the quality of life in Japan.

I write about these things with no animosity toward Japanese people. In fact, I find Japan attractive in many respects, some of which I explained in a written tribute to modern Japan some years ago. In particular, I very much admire the civility, common expressions of gratitude, and respect for tradition among Japanese people. I would much rather live here than anywhere else. Sadly, some of these qualities are diminishing as a result of the continuing Covid panic. Moreover, negative aspects of Japanese society, once in retreat or relatively benign, are now being exacerbated.

[The COVID lockdowns fed paranoia that, in some people, is never far from the surface, and only a functioning society kept a lid on it and them able to operate. Once that was removed and contagion fears flamed as well, Katy bar the door. ~ Beege]