Why the U.K. won’t tighten regulations even if the number of infected people exceeds 200,000 a day

Experiment and compare, no matter what you do. Data-driven policy making.

Omicron stocks are spreading around the world. However, the measures taken vary from country to country. Japan has decided to take priority measures to prevent the spread of the disease.

On the other hand, the U.K. only called for people to wear masks and face coverings when indoors or using public transportation, and to work from home as much as possible, because scientific data showed that the severity of the disease was low for the Omicron Variant and more than 60% of people over 12 years old were booster vaccinated. It was just a call to action.

It was in July last year that the U.K. abolished restrictions on the new coronavirus, including the wearing of masks and the establishment of a social distance. This is because more than 72% of adults have had their second vaccination and the Office for National Statistics estimates that 92% of adults have antibodies from vaccination or infection. As a result, people in the UK walked around without masks, drank in pubs, and filled concert halls and sports stadiums with spectators.

In Japan, on the other hand, even when the number of infected people dropped below 1,000, the government was reluctant to make it a routine. What on earth is the difference?

I think it’s whether you have an experimental mindset or not.

Nobuo Komiya, a professor at Rissho University who studied criminology at the University of Cambridge, said, “I think the difference is whether you have an experimental mind or not.

The impact of the spread of the new coronavirus was also studied in 37 events, starting with the World Snooker Championship on April 17, 2021, and ending on July 25. The total number of people attending these survey events was 58,000. There were 28 new event-related infections, with a new infection rate of less than 0.05%.

The British Formula 1 Grand Prix and the Wimbledon tennis championships, which attracted 300,000 people, were also investigated and found to be safe as long as participants behaved in a moderate manner.

The results of the UK’s Health and Safety Executive’s investigation, along with those of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have been reported in many countries.

This data may have contributed to the decision to eliminate most of the restrictions on July 19 last year, and to tighten the restrictions slightly after the spread of the Omicron Variant, but on January 20, when the spread of the new coronavirus had subsided. The scientific evidence is unclear. This is very different from Japan, which has taken priority measures to prevent the spread of the disease while the scientific evidence is still vague.

The British like to experiment. The British like to experiment, and whatever they do, they collect data and then decide whether to do it or not. In policy making, comparison is equivalent to experimentation.

For example, when installing security cameras, the data is collected by comparison.

For example, when installing security cameras, they compare the data. A district with security cameras and B The results show that the cameras are effective against car theft in parking lots, but not in the center. The results showed that the cameras were highly effective against car theft in parking lots, but had little effect on crime in the city center. In other words, it is effective against property crimes, not against people. As a result, the installation of security cameras focusing on property crime spread nationwide.

In the U.K., it is common practice to implement a “provisional version” of a measure in a small number of areas, whether it is public health, crime prevention, environmental measures, or child care, and then fine-tune the methods and contents based on the results to create a “final version” for nationwide application.

This is quite time-consuming,” he said. This is quite time-consuming,” he said. “You have to select regions with similar population, economic and geographic conditions to make comparisons. It’s a lot of work just to select a region.

Japan, where decisions can only be made by unanimous consent

I have never heard of such a thing being done in Japan. What’s preventing them from doing so?

What prevents them from doing so is Japan’s collectivism.

It is often said that the West is individualistic.

It is often said that the West is individualistic. The government provides the infrastructure, but it is up to the individual to decide whether or not to use it. The end result of individualism is self-responsibility.

It has been about two years since the new coronavirus began to spread worldwide. Based on scientific analysis, we have learned many things. As for the government, we have done what we should have done. Now it is up to each individual to do what they need to do, and if they get infected, it is their own responsibility. In a sense, this is a dry way of thinking. Even the government can make mistakes. It’s just a matter of thinking and making decisions on your own. The people are treated as adults. In Japan, on the other hand, as you can see from the in-car announcements, the government gives detailed instructions. This means that the people are treated as children.

If medical care is about to collapse, the British government will lock down again. Even if the number of infected people increases, if the rate of serious illness is low and the number of hospitalized patients is small, I think they will continue to proceed.

Japan, on the other hand, is

In contrast, Japan is “collectivist. In Japan, people think that everything should be done together. That’s what we are taught from the time we are children. For example, in school, we act in groups, and in high school baseball, it is important to shout together. But in the major leagues, people don’t shout. Scientifically speaking, it is not believed that shouting makes for good play. Even so, we are instructed to shout in order to get a sense of unity that we are all doing it together. Mentalism and guts are valued more than science.

As a result, it is impossible to conduct social experiments like in the UK.

For example. A district, and B If it’s that good, I want you to do it at home, too. On the other hand, even if 90 percent of the people think it’s a good idea, if one person with a loud voice says, ‘No,’ then everyone goes silent. Things will not move forward unless everyone is unanimous in their support. I think that’s why we’ve been so backward in our response to coronas.

The UK started booster vaccinations in September last year. They should have prepared for the coming sixth wave in October, November, and December, when the number of infected people is low.

It is true that it takes a long time to decide things if you are trying to proceed unanimously.

The straw man argument is a way of criticizing an opponent’s argument by taking away only the small parts or making it look like he said something he didn’t say, without addressing the important points. Even when plausible counter-arguments are raised in Japanese meetings, many of them are straw man arguments, so they don’t lead to productive discussions or majority decisions.

If we had solid data, we wouldn’t have to spend our days wondering what’s going on in Japan,” he said.

Even if someone says something progressive, he or she will not get the go-ahead. Even though former Minister Kono tried to abolish the use of personal seals, it has not been realized yet. Even if there are many people who believe that seals are not necessary, they will not be abolished. They can’t do anything new because there is no precedent. That’s why they are vulnerable to change. This is why we are weak against change, even though new technology can be created by doing something unprecedented. If this continues, Japan will be 10 years years. Japan will become a technologically backward country in 10 to 20 years. If we continue like this, Japan will be a technologically backward country in 10 or 20 years.

Coronary shock is a good opportunity for Japan

Japan is not good at making decisions. I had a feeling that this was the case with the Covid-19 scare. I was stunned to find out that the My Number card does not work at all for benefit payments.

I think the Covid-19 shock is forcing the Japanese to change their way of thinking. I think the Covid-19 shock is forcing the Japanese to change their way of thinking. If we realize that we are not thinking scientifically or making logical decisions, I think we can still make a comeback. This is where the battle begins.

Japan has the technology and the intellectual level is high. All we need is a humble attitude to learn from overseas and a proactive mindset to anticipate the future. I have high hopes for the future of Japan.”

Nobuo Komiya Professor of Criminology at Rissho University. D. in sociology. He was the first Japanese to complete the Graduate School of Criminology at the University of Cambridge. Worked at the United Nations Institute for the Prevention of Crime in the Far East and the Legal Research Institute of the Ministry of Justice before assuming his current position. He is the inventor of the “Community Safety Map. He has served as the chairperson of the National Police Agency’s Research and Study Group on Creating Safe and Secure Communities, and as the chairperson of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Education Committee on Delinquency Prevention and Harm Prevention. His representative work is “Shashin de wakaru sekai no kanai — kiseki, designe, machizukuri” (Crime Prevention in the World through Photographs — Ruins, Design, and Town Planning) (Shogakukan, selected by the National Council of School Libraries). He has appeared on TV, been interviewed by newspapers, and given many lectures throughout Japan. His official website and YouTube channel is “Nobuo Komiya’s Room of Criminology.