Japan’s ‘Abenomask’ Plan Faces Further Woes as Recalls Issued
Japan’s ‘Abenomask’ Plan Faces Further Woes as Recalls Issued
(Bloomberg) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s plan to distribute two reusable face masks to every household in the country was already unpopular, and has now been hit by a recall by the producers after some were found to be defective.
Abe first announced the plan earlier this month, hoping to address a chronic shortage of face masks which had until the coronavirus pandemic largely been sourced from China. The masks, which preceded promised cash payments some households urgently need, have been the subject of derision online even before their distribution, from their small size to the two-a-household limit.
And now reports of dirty or otherwise defective masks from people who have received them have forced the Health Ministry to order improvements in quality inspection. Itochu Corp. and Kowa Co., the companies that manufactured most of the cloth masks, have said they will recall those that haven’t been delivered.
The masks have become known as “Abenomask,” a riff on the prime minister’s flagpole “Abenomics” policy that also means “Abe’s Mask,” and the well-meaning but shambolic roll-out has become symbolic of Abe’s stop-start management of the coronavirus crisis.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Friday that there are no plans to halt the distribution, which he said was “a necessary step” amid the national mask shortage.
There may be a delay in the distribution due to the recall, Suga said, and that the government plans to continue the delivery to help give the people “peace of mind.”
The initial plan to distribute the masks had already met with disapproval, with 68% of those surveyed in a Mainichi poll conducted April 18 and 19 saying they didn’t back the plan.
Abe’s support rate has been dropping amid dissatisfaction both in his tackling of the virus and his moves to limit the economic fallout. He has expanded the state of emergency order from initial seven prefectures to the entire country, while ordering cash handouts of 100,000 yen to all residents, backtracking on a previous plan for larger handouts for those most in need.
The government is slated to make a decision on whether to extend the emergency status during the upcoming Golden Week holiday season.
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