Why the Government's COVID Response went astray
Masahiro Kami, Executive director, Medical Governance Research Institute

14:00-15:00 Wednesday, June 23, 2021
Language: The speech and Q & A will be in Japanese with English interpretation.

Japan's handling of the COVID-19 crisis has been a success by many measures. The emphasis on avoiding the Three C's (crowds, closed spaces and close contact), the public's willingness to wear masks, and limited lockdowns have kept the COVID toll relatively low. Japan has had 13,800 COVID-19 deaths among 760,000 cases, per-capita rates far below those of the United States and most countries in Europe. 
But many questions surround Japan’s COVID-19 containment efforts, from the strategy for limiting testing to those with clear symptoms to the late and slow rollout of the vaccination program. Physician and medical system reform advocate Masaharu Kami will come to the FCCJ to discuss how and why the government's COVID response went astray and the health risks posed by the upcoming Olympics. 
A frequent critic of Japan's medical establishment, Kami is executive director of the Tokyo-based NGO Medical Governance Research Institute, which strives to improve the practice of medicine in Japan. A physician who graduated from University of Tokyo, Kami specialized in internal medicine. He was on the staff of Todai's Institute of Medical Science before assuming his current position.  

How to attend: 
Please register at front@fccj.or.jp with your name, the name of your media outlet, and FCCJ membership number. Due to space restrictions attendance will be limited to 20 people. Doors open 30 minutes before the event. Please sign in, giving your name and contact details at the reception, and have your temperature taken before proceeding. 

How to watch online: https://www.youtube.com/c/FCCJchannel/live 　
Livestreaming of the press events will be available and video of this event will be uploaded to our FCCJ YouTube channel. 

How to ask questions: https://forms.gle/8pwWjWj4yZAzsdnz8   　
Members watching the event online can submit questions for the speakers in advance using this submission form.

TV crew: Please make a reservation at front@fccj.or.jp. Doors open for TV crews only at 45 minutes before the event. There will be five positions available for livestreaming. 

Professional Activities Committee