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Subsidized nightclubs and hostess bars in Tokyo to resist coronavirus

2020-07-12T18:26:06.621Z


Like Kabukicho, the “hot” district of the megalopolis, the nightlife of the Japanese capital has died out with the epidemic. Exceptional funds are released pending recovery.


The city of Tokyo plans financial bonuses to encourage its night places to close temporarily to counter the spread of the coronavirus, while the daily number of new cases in the Japanese capital hit a record Thursday. Local authorities plan to offer 500,000 yen (4,115 euros) for any nightclub, hostel or hostess that suspends for more than ten days, Japanese media reported.

Host or hostess bars in Japan allow their customers, often from business circles, to drink in gallant company of men or women paid to make them talk. Kaori Kohga, the patron saint of the Japanese association of host and hostess bars, welcomed this measure which is part of an extraordinary budget of 313 billion yen (2.6 billion euros) from the capital to fight against pandemic.

" It's a good start, but 500,000 yen per club is not enough to lower the number of cases " of Covid-19 disease, she told AFP. This money only risks going to the owners of the premises and not to their employees, so the impact could be " limited ", she warned.

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Tokyo is currently experiencing a clear resurgence of cases of new coronavirus, and in particular in its nightlife districts, such as Kabukicho in the district of Shinjuku. The city said Thursday it had 224 new cases, a record in one day since the onset of the health crisis.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, widely re-elected last Sunday for a second term, confirmed on Thursday that " the number of cases linked to nightlife districts has played a certain role " in the upsurge. However, the Japanese government does not plan to impose new restrictions for the moment, said spokesman Yoshihide Suga on Thursday.

Japan has been relatively unscathed by the global pandemic so far, with less than 1,000 deaths in approximately 20,000 cases reported. The government had put in place a state of emergency in the country between April and May, a device which incited the population to avoid unnecessary displacements and the businesses considered nonessential to close temporarily, on a voluntary basis.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2020-07-12

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