Suga’s decision sparks surprise and sharp criticism from Japanese audiences

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Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s sudden announcement of his intention to step down as the country continues to fight a resurgence of COVID-19 infections has been surprised and criticized by many in Japan, with medical workers lamenting his slow response and inadequate to combat the virus.

“I thought he would stay (as prime minister) a little longer,” said a 35-year-old nurse in Sapporo on Friday who was among those caught off guard by Suga’s blunt announcement.

Suga’s intention to step down came amid fierce public criticism of his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the delta variant rapidly spreading nationwide and 21 of Japan’s 47 prefectures currently in a state of disrepair. viral emergency.

He has also been criticized for hosting the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics despite public opposition amid growing concerns about the spread of the virus.

“Japan has fallen behind in securing and distributing vaccines, and the Suga administration has not provided any information (on this),” said Yasuhiko Hirata, president of the Fukuoka City Medical Association. .

Others deplored the slowness of the deployment for the youngest.

“If (Suga’s government) is to pursue vaccination policies, I would have liked it to be able to better manage vaccinations rather than (move forward) organize the Olympics,” said Haruka Honda, 34 years old, who was at a youth vaccination site in Tokyo’s Shibuya district.

The Suga administration’s response to the pandemic has drawn new criticism after the government last month introduced a policy allowing only patients with severe symptoms to be hospitalized, in a bid to avoid a shortage of nursing beds. hospital.

A nurse at a Tokyo hospital criticized the policy as out of touch, saying it shows how the government was “totally oblivious to the situation on the ground.”

“There isn’t a single COVID policy that can be praised, and everything that comes out of government is hollow,” the 47-year-old nurse said.

The government’s handling of the response to the virus was also unpopular among those running restaurants, bars and cafes who have been reeling from the impact of the pandemic.

The government had banned restaurants, bars and the like from serving alcohol and closed them earlier in a viral state of emergency, but Yoshihito Konishi, who operates a Japanese hot-food sukiyaki restaurant in the city Osaka, said more and more stores were declining. requests.

Shinya Murakami, manager of a restaurant in Osaka Prefecture, also criticized the government for falling “a little behind” in dealing with the sense of crisis facing restaurants.

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