Japan in Alagaësia

Tea for Four

Tea for Four

Reiwa 2 August 6

Sitting around the round (actually square) table, Minato and the dozens of other ministers and high-ranking officials listened as one of the aides conducted their briefing. Their numbers had soared since the transfer, with almost a hundred currently occupying the outer edges of the conference room along the wood paneled walls, many immersed in their laptops. The PC users projected a hint of quiet frustration beneath their composed efficiency and practiced calm; the transition away from the now unsupported Microsoft Windows toward an indigenous TRON standards operating system had little public support.

"... apologize, but the Japan Medical Association regrettably reports that the procurement of ventilators has proceeded... slower than expected. Projections for the full Q3 figures might have to be downwardly adjusted to 3,000, from the originally planned 5,000 figure."

Several sighs and quiet grumbles were heard as these news were processed.

The Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry addressed the Minister of Health, Labour, and Welfare: "It was my understanding, Imagawa-san, that the health ministry had assured us that the screening process had been streamlined to meet the target figure. It seems I was mistaken."

If Imagawa was inwardly bristling, he did not show it. "There are problems on the supply side that have nothing to do with regulatory hurdles or red tape, at least on our part, Noguchi-san," he answered calmly. "It is simply a matter of us losing—and I'm sure you've all heard it a hundred times before—all foreign suppliers of ventilators, and ECMO machines, and reagents, and protective equipment, and all other things we need. And our domestic producers were dependent on foreign suppliers for components and other parts. So the whole supply system was disrupted. As Minister of Economy, I'm sure you are well aware of this, Noguchi-san."

"At this rate... we can expect another five thousand deaths with the second wave that's now appearing," another official muttered. "We are not at all prepared." And then other officials started participating in the gloomy discussion, some speaking past each other and out of turn:

"Our stock is more than adequate, the doomsday forecasts of "the second wave" are likely way overblown anyway!"

"Really? We thought for so long that we had finally "flattened the curve", but now the number of new cases are once again rising... by 1.7 percent just yesterday! That's one thousand five hundred! R0 exceeding one for a month. Will this ever stop? Is the rest of the G7 on... Earth handling it any better?"

"Of course they are!" said a journalist whom Minato recognized as a main critic against their COVID-19 response. "Unlike Japan, America and Europe and China and others were enforcing actual lockdowns and restricting the movement of their people, as I've said many times. They were able to place restrictions on people from leaving their homes and meeting others. Actual social distancing. But apparently, as we're repeatedly being told, our constitution prevents us from doing that because of civil rights concerns and we are relying on voluntary compliance!"

"—can't be worse than Italy—"

"—retrospective contact tracing, the three C's, a lot more than you are claiming—"

"—approaches in the West and China are too draconian and authoritarian—"

"—they probably finished phase II trials by now—"

"... why is a journalist interrupting in-meeting?"

"It can't be helped," said an unnamed official. "We must adhere to the constitution or lose sense of who we are. Especially with the recent regrettable transgressions on our freedoms and rights committed by this cabinet because of the state of emergency."