Japan rises up against anti-mask campaigners after station protest

A DEMONSTRATION by a minor Japanese political party against wearing masks and taking other precautions to ward off coronavirus has met a fierce backlash from a public that has long been accustomed to covering up to keep illness at bay.

Around 100 people gathered in front of Tokyo’s Shibuya Station on Sunday, with some holding up placards declaring they refused to wear masks or practise social distancing.

Some members of the group – which included women carrying babies and young children – chanted “self-restraint is not necessary” during the three-hour protest.

After the rally, Masayuki Hiratsuka, leader of the Popular Sovereignty Party, urged the protesters to join him on one of Tokyo’s busiest railway lines to share their message.

In a Youtube message released the day before the demonstration, Mr Hiratsuka

said he intended to “hijack” the Yamanote Line, which runs as a large loop around central Tokyo, and make passengers who were wearing masks “feel stupid”. Ultimately, about a dozen people took part in his train protest.

Mr Hiratsuka ran in July’s election for Tokyo governor, with his campaign largely focused on the pandemic. In campaign posters, web broadcasts and speeches, he insisted the virus was “just a cold” and that the public should refuse to follow government health guidelines because people need to be exposed to viruses in order to strengthen their immune systems.

Mr Hiratsuka, 38, also opposed vaccinations, blamed the media for provoking concern about the virus among the public and demanded that people be allowed to “return to their lives before Covid-19”.

He received just 0.15 per cent of the vote in the Tokyo election, about 9,000 of the six million votes that were cast.

Undeterred by his defeat, Mr Hiratsuka is continuing his campaign, although the reactions on social media to his “cluster protest” suggest that he is not winning over many new followers.

Messages on Twitter said the group was “similar to terrorists and extremists”, while another said: “They are acting like they are in a cult.”

Another Twitter user added: “If a cluster does come out of this, then they should all be denied the use of the public health service.”

There were similar condemnations on the Japan Today website, with one message reading “Unbelievable! This is not a freedom or human rights issue. It’s just common sense.”

‘If a cluster does come out of this, then they should all be denied the use of the public health service’