Why Governor Koike is being criticized by the media and the government

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike is in a fury.

The rapid growth of Omicron stock is once again testing the metropolitan government of Koike. Koike has long been calling for a state of emergency to be declared, citing a hospital bed utilization rate of 50% as a guideline.

Considering the speed of infection, this is only a matter of time. Some media outlets reported ahead of time that the metropolitan government was considering requesting the declaration of a state of emergency. At a press conference on the 27th, Koike responded.

In response, Koike said at a press conference on the 27th, “It seems that you are circulating a draft of the plan, but that is not the case. I will tell you now.

I will tell you now. He then added

I would like to exchange opinions with experts on the declaration of a state of emergency, while confirming the overall medical provision system and other factors, and consider it comprehensively.

He went on to say.

This is not the first time he has lashed out at the mass media. At the regular press conference held on the 14th of this month, as soon as he entered the conference room, he said to a group of photographers in the corner of the room.

It’s a bit dense, isn’t it?　Please separate yourselves.

Please break it up. During the press conference, he kept saying.

During the press conference, he kept saying, “Please don’t be too close. Please don’t be too close.

He also appealed to the public.

He also reacted to a newspaper’s report that the application for priority measures to prevent the spread of the disease had been postponed. He grabbed a reporter and said

“Why was the headline on the front page of today’s paper, ‘Application postponed’?

I asked him. When the reporter explained, he tilted his head and said, “I don’t understand.

It’s important for the city, too. I would like to proceed with the project while exchanging various opinions.

The same thing happened last November.

A similar incident occurred in November last year. The same thing happened in November of last year, when Mr. Koike was interviewed after his statement at the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly.

I think you’re being dense!

He warned the press. When a reporter from a TV station who was in charge of the representative coverage pointed a microphone at her, she said, “Oh, you’re in charge of a TV show.

“Oh, you’re in charge of a TV show, aren’t you?

He sneered at the reporter. This was the same station where the reporter who had alleged that Koike was seriously ill and had resigned when she returned to public duties after a period of rest was employed.

He said, “He’s been particularly tense lately. Whenever there is a news report that doesn’t suit her, she asks the opposite question and starts snapping at them. His signature phrase, ‘Dense, isn’t it? It’s like he’s half appealing to the public, and he only does it when the cameras are rolling.

The media is not the only target of his irritation. It is not only the media that irritates her, but also the government.

In the midst of the explosive spread of the infection, Koike has called for “refraining from going out of the house unnecessarily” as before. However, Shigeru Omi, chairman of the government’s subcommittee on measures to combat the new coronavirus, said.

However, Shigeru Omi, chairman of the government’s subcommittee on measures to combat the new coronavirus, said, “The key phrase will be ‘limiting the number of people’ rather than ‘controlling the flow of people.

This contradicts Koike’s policy. This contradicted Koike’s policy and caused confusion, “Which way? This caused confusion.

Perhaps annoyed by this, Koike said at a press conference on the 21st

The important thing is to reduce the flow of people and opportunities for human contact, and refraining from unnecessary movement between prefectures is written in the (national) basic policy. Dr. Omi is saying something beyond that. I would like the government and Dr. Omi to be consistent in this regard.

He criticized her by name. He continued.

The government is giving us words of encouragement, but what we need are vaccines, oral drugs, and neutralizing antibodies.

What we want are vaccines, oral medicines, and neutralizing antibodies,” he said sarcastically.

As for the reason for Mr. Koike’s wildness, political insiders said

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who took over from Prime Minister Kan, does not want to get deeply involved with Ms. Koike. That’s why the government’s communication is slow in coming down, causing the phenomenon of ‘I haven’t heard.

When Mr. Koike was hospitalized last June due to excessive fatigue, there was a battle with the government in the background, and Mr. Koike had to stay up all night for two days. There is some resentment from that time.

He said.

Moreover, if he takes a leave of absence, people will say that he is seriously ill or that he will resign.

If he takes a leave of absence, he will be exposed to ‘serious illness’ and ‘resignation’ rumors. “Governor Koike thinks that his opponents in Nagata-cho made the reporters write about him,” said a political insider.

So they say.

Koike is in the midst of a “dark struggle” with the government over the declaration of a state of emergency for the fourth time. Koike’s tense mood is likely to continue for the time being.