Why is Japan unable or unwilling to unmask?

9 comments

1. Fear of societal judgement.

2. Why does it have to conform to American standards?

3. Why does the author interview an economist about mask usage from an infectious standpoint?

   > Unlike with infectious diseases, one cannot conduct social experiments or do analysis on supercomputers.

   I don’t even know how to respond to that. How is the author a senior staff writer?

4. Oh look, more politicization of medically sound practices.

5. Culture. I’ve been living here for the last 16 years and they casually put a mask when for example they don’t feel good ,or after they catch a cold .
   So yeah ,It’s an environmental and cultural thing , for me I’ve been wearing a mask since COVID-19 started and I plan to continuing doing so in the future, It simply doesn’t bother me .

6. Well. Because Japan is a group society. Japanese/East Asian society is fundamentally different from the Western Society at its core values(Maybe Hong Kong/Singapore will be a bit more lax, but if we are talking about a “traditional and homogeneous” East Asian society, that is just the way how it works).

   You don’t know how the rules or mentality work there because you are either not Asian or you have not lived in an Asian country long enough to understand its culture and social core values. Not trying to blame or disrespect you but I’m just saying.

   As an Asian myself, I can totally understand and sympathize with Japanese people on their decision to wear the masks and the cultural reason behind this.

   Why does Japan or East Asia have to follow and conform to the West?

7. Because the massive upward slope of the Covid data? Just a guess.

8. Because masking isn’t that much of a big deal for most japanese people

9. Why are people unwilling to accept:

   1. the importance of mask wearing, especially during the spread of infectious diseases.
   2. judgemental against a society for doing something different that doesn’t harm, but rather protects, them.

   Answer: they are ignorant monkeys who don’t know any better (just look at all those in Australia (where I am) and the USA who fight desperately against masking wearing). Noting of course, some people are unable to wear masks (for pre-existing health reasons).