Tokyo, 28 December, /AJMEDIA/
Japan’s government offices and many companies marked their final business day of 2022 on Wednesday, with public health centers declaring a “desperate situation” amid an eighth wave of coronavirus infections, while some big firms continued to reel from scandals.
“There is no holiday mood,” said Mieko Harada, who heads a public health center in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward, adding that the center has been struggling to cope with an influx of COVID-19 patients and to secure enough hospital beds since mid-December.
“I hope this will be the last year we have to worry about the coronavirus,” said a senior health ministry official, who decided again this year to forego participating in year-end parties.
Meanwhile, Japan’s largest advertising agency Dentsu Inc. remains embroiled in a major controversy over last year’s Tokyo Olympics, with its employees forecasting a tough year ahead as it scrambles to restore trust.
Former Dentsu executive as well as that of the sporting event’s organizing committee Haruyuki Takahashi has been indicted four times over a far-reaching bribery scandal. The firm has also been investigated over suspected bid rigging for contracts related to test events for the Games.
“As the scandals have shaken people’s trust, merely mentioning the company’s name is enough to invite resistance,” said an employee, who works in sports-related businesses.
The future of the industry was uncertain as the scandals also jeopardized plans such as Sapporo’s bid to host the 2030 Winter Olympics, the employee added.
Among other corporate blunders, KDDI Corp., operator of the “au” brand mobile phone service, in July suffered a network outage that affected more than 30 million people, with users unable to make emergency calls for an extended period.
“In order to provide stable services, we will enhance operations through ways including system monitoring by artificial intelligence,” said a KDDI spokesperson.
In contrast, Japan’s imperial family is looking to celebrate the coming year by holding its first public New Year greeting event in three years after cancellations due to the pandemic.
Princess Aiko, the only child of Emperor Naruhito, is also set to make her first appearance at the event on Jan. 2 held at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
“While taking sufficient infection control measures, we want it to be a good start to the New Year,” a senior official of the Imperial Household Agency said.
