The Osaka District Court has found Yasunori Kagoike, the former head of school operator Moritomo Gakuen, and his wife Junko guilty of defrauding the central government and other parties of some 170 million yen in subsidies. The ruling described the tactics of Kagoike and his wife as "devious and bold."
Suspicions stemming from the case, however, remain unraveled, and the heart of the issue has been abandoned.
The essence of the Moritomo scandal lies in the murky, discounted sale of state land for the construction of an elementary school -- and the truth behind this has yet to be unraveled.
It was revealed that the Ministry of Finance discounted the price of the land, which had been valued at 956 million yen, by around 800 million yen when selling it to Moritomo Gakuen. In giving a reason for the huge discount, the ministry cited the cost of removing garbage buried at the site. Yet it has not been confirmed if there was actually a large amount of garbage there.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's wife Akie at one point took on the role of honorary principal of the elementary school. It was suggested that officials had taken this into consideration when offering the discount -- triggering accusations of favoritism.
In February 2017, after the discount came to light, Prime Minister Abe stated in the Diet that if either he or his wife were found to be involved in the transaction, then he would step down.
Following these comments, it later came to light that the Ministry of Finance destroyed negotiation records on the transaction with Moritomo Gakuen and doctored documentation sanctioning the sale of the state land.
The Moritomo scandal brought into sharp relief the special considerations made toward politicians and the warped state of politics and government bodies in connection with the administration of public records.
On the heels of the Moritomo scandal, another scandal erupted over the establishment of a new veterinary school by Kake Educational Institution. When documents that were inconvenient for the administration emerged, it labeled them as "dubious."
More recently, bureaucrats shredded documents relating to a controversial cherry blossom-viewing party hosted by Abe immediately after the opposition camp asked for them.
Public records are the people's shared assets, enabling them to determine whether the administration is being conducted in a fair and just manner. If bureaucrats are making light of public documents as they gauge the feelings of politicians and go out of their way to make their stories make sense, then they are going about things completely the wrong way.
It was the Moritomo scandal that first triggered major debate over the administration of public documents. Unless light is shed on the core of that scandal, then the hotbed of politics that places utmost attention to how those in authority might feel will probably never vanish.
Unless such suspicions are cleared away, the public's sense of distrust cannot be removed. The political responsibility for this is heavy.

A government expert committee has stated it believes the spread of the new coronavirus within Japan is still at an "early stage."
Considering that groups of connected infections have been confirmed in several places across the country, we can assume that the coronavirus is now being transmitted within Japan's borders. This means the time is now to implement countermeasures.
The vast majority of people who contract the virus present only mild symptoms before getting better. However, some people also develop severe pneumonia, with the elderly, those with weak immune systems, diabetes, heart failure or other pre-existing conditions being at especially high risk. The more people who are infected overall, the more serious cases there will be. Going forward, it is essential to limit the number of COVID-19 pneumonia deaths to the absolute minimum.
To do this, it is important to take whatever steps we can across multiple fields. For regular people, that means doing things to reduce transmission. Looking at the examples of the many infected people aboard the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship and the multiple cases connected to a party on a "yakatabune" tour boat, it is plain that the coronavirus spreads easily among people gathered in confined spaces.
That being the case, we call on everyone to reconsider whether holding or attending any big get-togethers is necessary. Companies, too, should implement staggered working hours and teleworking so their employees can avoid riding packed rush hour trains, as well as video conferencing.
Furthermore, if people with light symptoms of the virus and who are unlikely to develop COVID-19 pneumonia unthinkingly head to medical institutions to get checked out, they could infect people there who are at higher risk, as well as the medical staff. To make sure they can devote care and resources to the seriously ill, it is important for people to refer to the standards set out by the government expert committee and decide on the best timing for getting examinations.
People who show symptoms should try to stay indoors, and remember to call one of the consultation centers set up to respond to the outbreak before going to a medical facility.
As long as the number of infections remains low, then the health institutions designated to deal with the disease will be able to cope. However, if the ranks of the sick swell, then regular hospitals will also have to take coronavirus patients. Hospitals need to start preparing for this scenario now, such as by instituting measures to keep people with the virus separated from other patients.
The infection of medical staff is one very serious problem that has emerged as anti-virus policies are implemented. Doctors and nurses who get the coronavirus can spread it through a hospital, potentially increasing the number of cases among people at high risk of developing COVID-19 pneumonia. Furthermore, infections among staff could mean temporary closure of the hospital, weakening the level of care across an entire region.
The government must carefully examine the state of the outbreak in Japan, and develop measures to protect medical practitioners.
Nursing homes and day centers for the elderly also have to take thorough steps to prevent transmission. This sector especially needs to check and recheck its anti-contagion measures.

Japan has confirmed multiple cases of new coronavirus infections with uncertain infection routes, and the first death from pneumonia caused by the virus in the country has been reported.
The new coronavirus initially spread from Wuhan, central China, to other areas of that country. Previously, infections in Japan had been limited to those who had had contact with Chinese tourists, excepting those on the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship. Now, however, we are beginning to see the infection spread within Japan -- a possibility that had been pointed out by experts.
With people crossing national borders for business and tourism, it is difficult to completely prevent new infectious diseases from coming to Japan. However, proactive efforts must now be made to prevent the virus from spreading here, while at the same time treating the situation calmly.
The government has heretofore prioritized preventing the coronavirus from getting into Japan. However, the personnel and equipment available for such measures are limited. Now that domestic infections have entered a new phase, priority should be shifted to efforts to ensure that Japan can deal with a further increase in patient numbers.
What should be done first is to expand the system for confirming infections.
As part of the first round of its emergency countermeasures, the government declared that it would quadruple the National Institute of Infectious Diseases' virus diagnosis capacity. Moreover, the government is accelerating the development of test reagents to be used in diagnostic devices made by private firms, with an eye to shortening the time required for a coronavirus test from about six hours to 30 minutes.
The government is aiming to achieve these goals by the end of March, but the demand for tests will certainly expand if infections spread. It is necessary for the government to hit its targets as early as possible.
It is also essential now to clarify infection routes, identify those who are highly likely to be or have been infected, including patients' families. At the same time, it is imperative to ensure that medical institutions are fully prepared to treat the expected uptick in patient numbers.
According to the World Health Organization, the new virus' fatality rate stands at about 2%, significantly below the 9.6% for SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome. The fatality rate for the new coronavirus could decline further, because there are certainly quite a lot of people who have had the virus without getting it confirmed.
Considering that many patients have only light symptoms, it is necessary to put more efforts into the treatment of those who develop serious conditions. It is especially important to prevent elderly people and those with chronic diseases, who tend to develop severe symptoms, from contracting the virus. It is also essential, should such people get infected and become seriously ill, to secure a system where they can receive appropriate treatment before it is too late. It will likely be an option to encourage those with light symptoms to recuperate at home.
Approximately 1,800 beds have been secured for coronavirus patients at designated infectious disease treatment hospitals. If these are insufficient, regular medical institutions will be required to admit patients. Preparations should be made at such facilities to prevent infected people from coming into contact with other patients.
It is indispensable to swiftly provide necessary information on the disease to medical service workers. Specifically, information on the new coronavirus and its symptoms should be sorted out and publicized to help prevent infections and worsening symptoms.
A male surgeon confirmed to have been infected with the coronavirus in the western Japan prefecture of Wakayama apparently worked for at least a day after developing a fever. At least one other doctor at a hospital where he works plus a patient developed symptoms of pneumonia. Now that in-hospital infections are likely to have occurred, the hospital and its government regulator should respond to the situation accordingly.
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry is poised to dispatch experts to the hospital, but should also implement preventive measures across the country, instead of leaving the matter up to each individual medical institution.
Thorough preventive measures should also be taken at facilities other than hospitals. Group infections at facilities for seniors are especially concerning, and countermeasures similar to those against influenza should be considered. All-out efforts should be made to prevent families and others who visit residents at such facilities from bringing in the virus, not to mention transmission from staffers to residents.
People tend to worry they have been infected if they develop coughs and high fevers, but there are in fact not many cases where patients show severe symptoms. The health ministry is advising those who are worried about possible infection to call consultation centers set up by prefectural governments and other bodies, which can introduce specialized medical institutions.
People who have not developed symptoms but are worried about infection are supposed to contact hotlines on the new coronavirus set up by prefectural governments.
As preventative measures, in the meantime, members of the general public are being urged to frequently wash their hands, and be careful not to spread the virus through coughing. Those who fear that they are likely to develop severe symptoms should avoid going to crowded places.
If the number of coronavirus infections increases, it is feared to adversely affect business activities. Companies should consider measures to continue their operations by allowing employees to telework, as well as make is easy to take time off.
The government's current emergency countermeasures focus on support for the tourism and other industries susceptible to the outbreak and preventing the virus from getting into Japan. It appears that the government has fallen one step behind the situation, and has come under mounting pressure to implement additional measures against a possible epidemic within the country.

In a dramatic change for the Academy Awards, South Korean director Bong Joon Ho's film "Parasite," which depicts social disparity in South Korea, was awarded the Oscar for Best Picture -- the American film industry's top honor.
The award has long been held as a prize meant only for Hollywood products, favoring entertaining epics. In the 92 years of the Academy Awards' history, this is the first that it has gone to a foreign language film.
The movie tells the story of a poor family living in a semi-basement apartment, whose members gradually latch on to a wealthy family living in a mansion. The film contains surprising twists, and while bitterly criticizing the growth of disparity in society, it is also entertaining as a dark comedy.
South Korea had prepared the ground to create a work with a strong message, with the government supporting film production, although the use of subtitles created a high barrier for the film to achieve success in the United States. Nevertheless, despite starting at just three theaters in America, the movie went on to be shown at over 1,000 cinemas in the country and became a hit -- unusual for a foreign language film.
In addition to the film's entertainment value, it's poignant, universal message likely tugged at people's heartstrings. This is no doubt what allured audiences in the U.S. While the film is set in present-day South Korea, the themes of disparity and divisions that it touches on are not just limited to that country, or to Japan, but are also a tender spot for the United States under the administration of President Donald Trump.
On the big screen, Hollywood has embodied U.S. values like prosperity and dreams for the future. The fact that its representative prize was given to a social issues film from South Korea is an indication that the themes it covers cannot be ignored.
In recent years, films that cut their way into social problems with a hard-hitting message have had a strong presence in the film industry. The film "Joker," which vied with "Parasite" for Best Picture and went on to win the Best Actor award, entrusts the distortion of a society in which the weak are ostracized to a villain who is an American standup comic. In Japan, too, Hirokazu Kore-eda's film "Shoplifters," which similarly depicts economic disparity, won the top Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
In terms of box-office sales, however, anime titles and Disney films have an iron grip on the top spots in Japan. At present, there are no prospects of a social issue movie turning into a commercial success.
Even so, there are quite a few filmmakers who are making works with strong social elements. The success of "Parasite" will doubtlessly give the Japanese film industry a supportive push.

An outbreak of pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus has dealt a serious blow to Japan's tourism industry. As Chinese group tours have been banned, many large-scale trips to Japan have been canceled one after another.
For the Japanese tourism industry, the Chinese New Year holiday period that begins in late January is usually the busiest season when tourism-related businesses see large numbers of Chinese visiting Japan. However, at least 400,000 Chinese nationals will have canceled their trips to Japan by the end of March, according to industry sources.
In the central Japan prefecture of Shizuoka where over 90,000 people canceled their reservations for accommodation between January and March, many inn and hotel operators have expressed fears that the spread of the coronavirus will seriously affect their revenue. Tourism-related businesses in Yamanashi, also in central Japan, Nara, western Japan, and other prefectures where the ratios of Chinese people to all tourists staying at accommodation facilities are high have suffered a sharp decline in the number of visitors.
While a group infection of the coronavirus aboard a cruise ship at anchor off Yokohama, south of Tokyo, was confirmed, visits by cash-cow cruise ships to Kyushu in southwestern Japan and the southernmost prefecture of Okinawa have also been canceled, causing sales at commercial facilities in these areas to halve.
The number of visitors to Japan from overseas has been on the rise in recent years against the backdrop of the declining value of the yen and the easing of requirements for obtaining tourist visas, hitting a record high of 31.88 million in 2019. Chinese people account for the largest percentage -- over 30% of that figure.
Chinese visitors spent a total of nearly 1.8 trillion yen on accommodation and souvenirs last year, serving as the driving force behind the Japanese government's strategy for increasing inbound tourists as part of the "Abenomics" economic policy mix promoted by the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The number of visitors from South Korea sharply decreased in 2019 because of diplomatic friction between Tokyo and Seoul over the issue of compensation for South Koreans who were forced to work in Japan during World War II. However, the decrease was offset by a sharp rise in the number of Chinese visitors.
Local governments have put efforts into the revitalization of regional areas by encouraging Chinese and other inbound tourists to visit their areas. However, concerns remain that the number of visitors from overseas tends to be affected by economic conditions abroad and outbreaks of infectious diseases.
Small and medium-sized businesses, which can face financial trouble if the number of visitors decreases, are playing a leading role in local tourism industries. Since such a risk has come to the surface, it is essential to extend assistance to these businesses to help them tide over the difficulties they face.
The central government is expected to work out emergency measures under which public financial institutions will extend assistance to cash-strapped tourism-related companies by the end of this week. To ease anxiety in regional areas, it is necessary to implement detailed measures to prevent infections and advise businesses on how to deal with their customers.
Concerns have also been raised about the possibility that many other foreigners will refrain from visiting Japan for fear of possible infections. The government should swiftly disseminate accurate information in foreign languages about those who have been infected with the coronavirus, quarantine procedures and treatment. The Abe government, which is striving to transform Japan into a tourism-oriented country, has a responsibility to implement effective countermeasures against the outbreak of pneumonia caused by the virus.

As the new coronavirus spreads across the world, so too have false rumors and misinformation -- primarily via the internet.
Among them are that a passenger with a fever who arrived by plane from Wuhan in China escaped quarantine authorities at Kansai International Airport, and that the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games will be cancelled. There have also been several cases where information has popped up describing people having become infected in areas where no known cases were recorded.
Since the virus is a new infectious disease, many things about it are still unknown, such as its infectivity and dangers. Because so much about the virus is unclear, the desire to gather as much information as possible is also stronger.
But unfounded rumors and misinformation cause societal anxiety and chaos.
To prevent such a state of affairs, it is essential that public and specialized agencies deliver correct information to the people frequently. The government must take care to protect individuals' privacy while as swiftly as possible disclosing facts that have become evident.
In the cases of the false rumors about Kansai International Airport and the Tokyo Summer Games, the involved parties officially denied them. If misinformation is being disseminated, then it is important to issue correct information immediately.
One U.S. IT firm has begun efforts to stop the spread of misinformation regarding the new coronavirus. It is taking measures such as confirming whether a piece of information is true or not, and if it isn't, preventing it from showing up online.
What is terrifying is that propagating false reports can lead to discrimination and prejudice, and in the past rumors about infectious diseases have fostered such views against patients. Additionally, when the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station broke out in March 2011 following the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunamis, survivors became targets for prejudice.
Now with the new virus, posts defaming Chinese people are showing up on the internet. In North America and Europe, discriminatory language and behavior toward Asian people -- including Japanese people -- is said to have become an issue.
To prevent the further spread of the virus, certain restrictions have been placed on those infected with it, as well as on those who cannot be ruled out as infected. The government must provide the public with accurate information to prevent such people from becoming targets for prejudice.
According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, people have been seeking advice over discrimination against family members of hospital workers treating those infected with the new coronavirus. This, too, is a challenge that must be confronted head-on.
With the proliferation of social media, we live in a time when anyone can easily distribute information. What one posts without much consideration can lead to the spread of false rumors. We must be careful.
It is when anxiety levels are high in society that we are most required to assess information level-headedly.

U.S. President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union address before Congress on Feb. 4. As he entered the chamber, he was welcomed by Republican lawmakers' chants of "Four more years," calling for his re-election in the upcoming 2020 presidential election.
During his speech, Trump, with Democratic presidential contenders' advocacy for a universal health insurance program in mind, pledged, "We will never let socialism destroy American health care."
No sooner had the president wrapped up his address than House Speaker Nancy Pelosi -- a Democrat -- stood up from her chair on the podium and tore the pages of her copy of Trump's speech in half in an apparent show of anger.
The sight was appalling and incredible, making us question if this is really happening in American politics, even considering the address came in the midst of Trump's impeachment trial in a divided Congress.
With the presidential poll set for November, his State of the Union address resembled a campaign speech, in which he kept blowing his own trumpet.
"Jobs are booming, incomes are soaring, poverty is plummeting, crime is falling, confidence is surging, and our country is thriving and highly respected again," Trump boasted.
Certainly, the U.S. economy is booming. Some economic indices did rise after Trump came into office. While some critics complain that the president overplayed his achievements, it is apparently a sitting president's advantage to underscore such positive results.
Meanwhile, Trump fiercely attacked the Democratic Party for its immigration policy and push for health insurance reform, in an apparent bid to better illustrate his showdown with the rival party.
However, the annual State of the Union address is for the president to present policy issues that need to be addressed and urge Congress to work on them. It is in no way for election campaigning.
Trump has adopted a fairly unusual political style. He has attached such extraordinary emphasis on his base while not listening to different opinions -- but rather condemning them and ruling them out. But in a deeply divided society, a national leader should strive to bridge the gap and reconcile antagonistic sentiment.
Yet not a single word was uttered by Trump to encourage cross-party cooperation. This has left us nothing but disappointed. As presidential campaigns unfold, the ruling and opposition parties will engage in a bitter war of words, possibly deepening the divide that already plagues the United States.
Amid the decline in the manufacturing sector and as issues concerning immigration and economic disparity grow, people are increasingly turning to the "America First" ideology to vent their smoldering frustrations.
Trump has hoisted the "America First" banner on the diplomatic front as well, adamantly sticking to his style of dismissing rules and norms.
During the speech, Trump boasted that "our strategy has worked" in the trade war with China, and called on U.S. allies to "pay their fair share." This may impact Japan, too, which is bracing for talks with Washington over Tokyo's contribution to the cost of hosting U.S. troops in Japan.

The outbreak of the new coronavirus originating from China has become a risk to the world economy. Stock prices in Japan and the United States have plunged due to fears of a possible downturn in the Chinese economy, and shares also plummeted at the Shanghai Stock Exchange on Feb. 3 after the Lunar New Year holiday period was over.
As countries scramble to develop a vaccine to treat the new coronavirus strain, the Chinese government has introduced strict movement restrictions on citizens mainly in Wuhan, Hubei Province, the epicenter of the outbreak, to prevent further infections. If the coronavirus scare is prolonged, China may see a decline in consumer spending in tourism and other sectors, which comprises some 60% of its GDP.
China similarly suffered an economic setback in 2003 following the outbreak of SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, with its economic growth rate temporally dropping to around 2%. However, the Chinese economy at that time accounted for a mere 4% of the global GDP. Now that China has become the world's second largest economy, the figure has surged to around 16%.
China leads the world in annual sales of new cars, and its economic downturn could deal a far more serious blow to the global economy than in 2003, given China's role as a hub of supply chains for the manufacturing and high-tech industries.
Amid trade frictions between China and the United States, China's real growth rate in 2019 dropped to 6.1%, marking a 29-year low. Following this, Beijing and Washington reached an agreement in the first phase of their trade deal at the beginning of 2020, raising hopes that the Chinese economy could avoid a further downturn.
How greatly the coronavirus scare will affect the Chinese economy will depend on when the spread of infections subsides. According to Daiwa Institute of Research, China's growth rate may drop to somewhere around 4% in the January-March 2020 quarter if consumer spending in tourism and other affected sectors plunges by around 10% amid continued restrictions on people's movements.
The lockdown of Wuhan, one of China's largest centers for auto and other manufacturing sectors, has forced foreign companies operating local plants, including Honda Motor Corp., to halt their production lines, with no prospects of resuming them anytime soon. China is the center of the global economy in terms of both supply and demand of goods and services, but it appears the coronavirus scare could paralyze its economic functionality.
The virus scare is also adversely impacting the Japanese economy, as China has become Japan's largest trade partner. The trade value between the two countries has more than doubled from 2003, when SARS broke out, to top 30 trillion yen.
Furthermore, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Japan reached some 9.59 million in 2019, more than 20 times the figure in 2003. This has been a major driving force behind the growth of Japan's tourism industry.
As the Japanese economy strongly depends on China's, Tokyo should look into taking swift responses in anticipation of a further economic downturn in China, while keeping a close watch on the trends of coronavirus infections.

Britain has left the European Union (EU), marking the first time that the EU, which had only ever expanded before, has shrunk. It was a historic crossroads for the union.
Britain bade farewell to the EU single market in which people, capital, goods and services can move freely across borders within the union, unencumbered by import duties or other tariffs.
Moves to integrate European countries began with a commitment to peace based on postwar reconciliation between Germany and France. The number of EU member countries, which stood at just six at the time of its inauguration, had risen to 28. The EU, with a population of some 500 million, was dubbed by some "the first non-imperial empire," as mentioned by former European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.
Three years and seven months have passed since Britain, which joined moves to integrate Europe 47 years ago, chose in a 2016 referendum to leave the EU. One cannot help but wonder where Britain will go after walking away from the "European empire."
Britain issued a commemorative 50-pence coin to mark Brexit, and on it is the phrase, "Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations." However, the coin does not mention "Europe."
British people had kept asking themselves whether their country, which is separated from continental Europe such as France by the Strait of Dover, is a part of a single Europe. Britain joined the EU's predecessor in 1973, but stopped short of introducing the euro, the union's single currency. In the meantime, the country has maintained special ties with the United States, another Anglo-Saxon nation. Following Brexit, London will likely have closer relations with Washington.
The EU accounts for half of Britain's trade, and the British National Institute of Economic and Social Research estimates that the country will suffer some 70 billion pounds (about 10 trillion yen) in economic damage due to Brexit. Britain will have to pay a high price for leaving the union.
The future distance between Britain and the EU will depend on the transition period that will last until the end of 2020. Unless Britain signs a free trade agreement with the EU to replace the tariff union, no-deal Brexit chaos awaits.
What is worrisome is that Britain and EU are locking horns even before full-scale talks on the issue get underway this coming spring.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson confidently said Brexit would "re-energize our great United Kingdom" and make the country "the greatest place on Earth." By freeing itself from EU regulation, the premier is looking to make Britain competitive in the EU market.
However, the EU is determined to block Britain from cherry-picking its freedom of access to the single market, and also urged London to maintain the same environmental and food safety standards as those of the union. A no-deal, chaotic withdrawal would adversely affect not only the EU but also the world economy. Both sides should do their best to maintain the relations that they have built up over time.
Behind Brexit are rising populism opposing rule by elites, and calling for the expulsion of immigrants plus "my country first" sentiments. People's dissatisfaction with the status quo gave rise to such trends. In the Brexit referendum, voters' dissatisfaction was targeted at the EU.
Unelected EU bureaucrats have been criticized for many years for being "undemocratic." The EU's hasty moves to promote integration have raised concerns among British people that the country's sovereignty could be threatened.
Another factor is that the solidarity of the EU has loosened in recent years. The EU was split over its responses to the euro crisis triggered by Greece's fiscal collapse and an influx of refugees mainly from the Middle East and Africa.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in an interview with The Financial Times that Brexit is a "wake-up call" for the EU. The Britain-less EU's diplomatic power and presence will certainly decline.
Jean Monnet, the founding father of the EU, said, "Europe will be forged in crises, and will be the sum of the solutions adopted for those crises." The EU should stop and reflect on its integration.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who is promoting an "America first" policy, is turning his back on international rules and acting selfishly, shaking up the world order. At the same time, authoritarian China and Russia are increasing their influence.
Climate change, the spread of infectious disease, the threat posed by terror, and other issues that cross borders cannot be solved by single countries. International cooperation is more important now than ever.
What is important is the role played by middle powers including Japan and Europe, which share the values of freedom and democracy, in maintaining order and stability in a world where major powers are struggling for hegemony.
Japan has maintained good relations with both the EU and Britain. Trade in food and other items between Japan and the EU has been expanding thanks to an economic partnership agreement that came into force a year ago. Britain is enthusiastic about participating in the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement.
Tokyo should strengthen cooperation with both sides and play a key role in building a network of middle powers, which will certainly help bridge the gap between Britain and the EU.

It recently emerged that a Japanese man contracted a new coronavirus after driving two busloads of tourists from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of a deadly outbreak of pneumonia caused by the virus. The driver is thought to have caught the virus from one of the tourists.
It had been expected that anyone who spent a long time with infected patients inside an enclosed space could come down with the virus, as is seen in household transmission. In this respect, the driver's infection was within the scope of assumption.
Japan will probably see more cases of human-to-human transmission, and so it is essential to examine issues that surfaced in the driver's case.
The government has been following up on people who were in contact with infected individuals. Certainly, this is a necessary measure, but is it going to publicly announce all of the destinations visited by infected people?
The government should specify well-grounded criteria for its responses without simply leaving measures to combat the globally fast-spreading coronavirus up to each local body. By proving such criteria, it can relieve people's anxieties and curb possible discrimination of infected patients.
One outstanding issue is that the nature of the new virus has not yet been revealed. It also remains unclear how easily the virus can spread from infected patients with mild or no symptoms or during the incubation period.
If the coronavirus can be passed from infected individuals with mild or no symptoms at a high probability, the number of coronavirus carriers whose connection with Wuhan is unclear will inevitably rise in Japan. In such a scenario, the government would need to take new steps, so it is essential to start preparing now.
It is also necessary to consider how to oversee Japanese nationals who arrived in Tokyo from Wuhan on government-chartered flights.
The government is calling on the returnees to stay home or otherwise avoid going out in public until after the incubation period passes, even if they do not test positive for the virus and have no symptoms. Even then, some people may be concerned that those people could be carrying the virus and could infect others, including family members. This would also leave people around them restless.
The government is urged to take measures to address such concerns and distribute relevant information in a careful manner.
It is possible that the number of infections could shoot up in Japan. It is important for the government to present multiple scenarios to the public and provide explanations about necessary measures to be taken in advance, not only to medical institutions but also to companies and individuals.
Disclosure of relevant information is imperative not just to prevent the spread of infections, but to curb possible panic in society as well.