Already present in the archipelago before the pandemic, especially during periods of seasonal flu or allergies, the mask has become essential there since the beginning of 2020 to the point of inheriting the nickname of “slip for the face”.
Wearing the mask has never been legally required in the country, but the practice remains extremely widespread, including outdoors, despite repeated statements by the government explaining for several months that it was no longer necessary outdoors.
Monday morning, the majority of the hundreds of travelers emerging from Shinagawa station, in the south of Tokyo, were resolutely masked, one of them, Tatsuhiko Ohashi, explaining to AFP to have still “some fear” of Covid-19.
“I don’t want to catch it, nor do I want to cause any inconvenience to others if by any chance I was carrying the virus myself. So I will continue to wear the mask for the time being.”added the 46-year-old employee.
Japan has identified some 73,000 dead since the start of the pandemic for a population of 125 million, a figure lower than that of many other countries, which some have attributed to the general wearing of masks and the prolonged closure of the borders of the archipelago.
Look of others
The decision to wear the object or not is now “left to individuals” in the words of the Japanese government, which continues to advocate the mask in the transports when they are very busy, as well as in hospitals and institutions for the elderly.
Half of the people questioned in mid-February by the public television channel NHK said they thought “keep wearing the mask” even after the recommendation was relaxed.
“The Japanese are very concerned about how other people look and are afraid of being judged if they are the first to remove their mask”, explains Hajime Yamaguchi, professor of psychology at Oberlin University in Tokyo. “They will first observe what the people around them are doing before abandoning the mask little by little”.
According to him, the pollen allergy season, currently in full swing, should also encourage many to stay covered at least until may.
By dint of wearing it, “many have started to feel safer behind their masks” and for them, “removing your mask has become almost shameful”ajoute M. Yamaguchi.
Some travelers, however, were enjoying their newfound freedom on Monday, such as Hiromi Mitsui, 49. “That those who want to wear it wear it and that the others do not wear it, if we respect each other there is no problem”, he estimated.
To change the mentalities
The Japanese executive has asked all business sectors in the country to update and adapt their rules concerning the wearing of masks, and supermarket chains, department stores and restaurants have mostly chosen not to impose the mask anymore. mask to customers, continuing to recommend it to their employees.
In his hairdressing salon located in a trendy district of the capital, Kai Tsudo, 35, has also chosen to leave the choice to his customers, at the risk that the most cautious avoid his establishment. “If we don’t change (mindsets) little by little, it could cause problems in the future” between mask supporters and others, he says.
The Ministry of Education has also asked schools to no longer require students to be masked from the start of the school year in April.
The government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has also announced its intention to lower the medical classification of Covid-19 at the same level as the seasonal flu, instead of the current category where it rubs shoulders with tuberculosis and SARS.
The change, along with the easing of some restrictions, is due to take place after the annual “Golden Week” holiday period, which sees many Japanese travel in early May.