(１) SPORTS

Nagoya University of Foreign Studies

December, 2020

The NUFS Times
Nagoya University of Foreign Studies

57 Takenoyama, Iwasakicho, Nissin, Aichi 470-0197 JapanThe 6th edition

Sports, COVID and the Olympics
Is Japan acting too quickly?

By Miles Ager

Saturdays are no longer the same.
I am not alone in this thought;
across the UK people have had torevise their lives to deal with a pandemic, which seems to be lurking
around every corner. Government
advice is wholly inconsistent, thelines between legality and breaking
the law have become increasingly
ambiguous yet there is one area inwhich rulings have been unequivocal: professional sports. For months,
the public has been banned from
attending sports fixtures, and as ofnow, there will be no drastic change
for such events until at least March
2021. No longer are droves of supporters arriving at stadiums to support their beloved teams. No longer
is the camaraderie and match-day
spirit seeping into the Saturday
Above: The Colosseum, which hostmornings before the football game. pics is a huge honour, is it wise tothat originally, the death percented the ancestor to the modern day
No longer are there goals to cheer,
Olympic Games. The remnants ofrisk the welfare of the public to be- age across Japan used to be a lot
chants to sing and referees to abuse come ‘spectator-ready’?
the structure reveal the Olympic trahigher, but this has decreased asdition’s ancient history, suggestingfrom the terraces. Instead, fans stay
the management of the virus has
how much of a privilege it is to hostUnable to experience the situaseated on the sofa, watching theimproved. “Rural areas are getting the games.
tion regarding COVID-19 in Japan,
match play to a synthetic crowd.
better” she continues, mulling over Photo: Taken by Scott MacDonald
I ask Mei Kondo from Nagoya Uniin July 2018.
Many yearn for the Saturdays ofthe situation. Indeed, when theold, wishing they could return to the versity of Foreign Studies for her
Baseball Association implemented
stadia where their concerns seem to valuable insight regarding the situ- these measures, this did seem to bepeople to use many different
disappear for the day. Nevertheless, ation on the other side of the world. the case: according to the Ministrytrains,” she says with conviction, as
the weeks keep piling up and there “The Tokyo Olympics will be heldof Health, Labour and Welfare, the this will make it easier for people tonext summer,” a modest smile
is no end to the ban in sight.
death rates had decreased sincedistance themselves while going tostarts to form on her face, “but theWith this in mind, imagine my capacity of it will be smaller.” Cau- their peak in mid-April, and accord- the venue. When everyone is at theing to the JHU CSSE, the majority event, all the rules are stringently
surprise when I discovered that, in tious optimism, something whichof cases originated in Tokyo andJapan, football matches can havefollowed, and people behave very
has characterised the reasoning beOsaka.
attendance figures of up to 50% of
well, and this has also contributed
hind increasing attendance atthe stadium capacity, and thatto the decision to be more laissezsports fixtures. Many people, likewithin the last few weeks the Japan Kondo, believe that COVID-19 has COVID: Caution vindicated, faire regarding attendance. The ulProfessional Baseball League has
timate red-flag is the inability of theabated, due in no part to a ‘slow and but is it too early to relax?
announced the attendance cap will steady’ approach from the governtransport system to deal with the
expand to 80%. The decision to do
It is the confidence in this trend sheer number of commuters headment. Other European nations—so is based on a series of meetingsof progress that has allayed the fear ing to these events.
particularly France and the UK—
between the J. League and Nippon did not follow this approach, and as of the J. League and Baseball AssoDespite reservations about theProfessional Baseball, in consultaciation in opening up the stadiums
such, they had to bear the consepresent,in the future “the situation
tion with an epidemiologist and ex- quences of the devastating result of to more of the public. However, thewillbecomebetter” Mei says, again
perts in large-scale events. Even
opening up too quickly too soon. As general feeling towards the increase exposing her cautious optimism.
with professional counsel, such
such, the ‘slow and steady’ mentali- in fans has been rather negative. “I Yet, if all signs point to waiting unmeasures seem unfathomable, notthink people want to watch thety has only solidified within thetil the near future, why are theonly in the UK, but also acrossgames” Mei starts, “but they are
Japanese public. Mitsuo Kaku—
many other European countries.
concerned for other people.” People measures being enacted now? “Thehead of the medical panel at the
government wants to open Japan
recognize the danger in allowing
The recent attendance increase series of meetings discussed earlimore spectators; they realize that it for economic reasons,” Mei responds
for baseball games provides the op- er—epitomizes this belief, stressing
after some deliberation, “they wantthat whilst it is important to return puts other members of the public at to be able to accept as many travelportunity to test anti-coronavirus
unnecessary risk. A brief pause premeasures, which will be implement- to normalcy, it is imperative tosents a solution, “Having the sports lers as possible when the Olympics
move cautiously in achieving thated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
start.” After all, the Olympics haveevents online is better” a tinge ofThis test constitutes the first step to goal.
forlornness flashes across her face— been a huge expense for Japan,
reigniting the Olympic flame which
This caution is evident in JaMei is part of the cheerleading club $12.6 billion to be precise, according
should have been burning but a few pan as well. It was only several
and has not been able to practice or to the Associated Press. However,months ago. The looming threat of
the true cost is likely to be much
weeks ago that the Japanese govgo to events for a while now.
hosting the Olympic Games behind ernment repealed its closed-borderhigher and will only increase theclosed doors for the first time in his- policy, which they enacted at the“The situation is too scary right longer the event is delayed, making
tory has spurred the Government
it imperative to revive the Olympics
start of the pandemic. COVID-19, of now” she adds, clarifying that theand the professional sports industry course, remains a very real threat
scariest part of going to the games
and make as much money as possiinto action, resulting in the approv- across Japan, but there is definitely is not the event, but the travel.
ble. Financial concerns aside, Mei
al of increased attendance for sports a sense of progress. Mei explains
Since they have increased attendContinued on page 4
fixtures. Though hosting the Olymance, “The government should allow

(２) Minority

Nagoya University of Foreign Studies

December, 2020宏宊宅宗宔孽季宖宸⒐宨宵宬宱宪家季孩季宇宬⒑宦宸宯宷宬宨家

Empathy: the blindside of Japan’s sexual
minority policies
By Chihiro USAMI

Like any average citizen, Ms. Yukari, a 30-year-old woman living inTokyo, wakes up early in the morning to go to work. She finishes hernine-to-five job, eventually returning back home where her partner
awaits her. The crux: Yukari’s
partattempts to hide from thosearound her. Ms. Yukari lives a normal life, but she bears the burden of
hiding her true self everyday sheexits the front door.
Yukari’s story is not isolated.
The number of LGBTQ people inJapan is approximately 1.26 million. When some people think of
LGBTQ people, they often associatethem with television entertainment,or Shinjuku 2-chome, where one canfind many gay and okama bars.
However, LGBTQ people are surprisingly closer to them than they
think.
Even though Yukari has declared herself to be a homosexual toher close friends and family, sheon any of the discrimination based
hesitates to declare her sexuality at struggles of the LGBTQ community.
work because of workplace discrimiIn other words, the government has
nation towards LGBTQ people.
only taken one small step to change
One instance of work-place dis- LGBTQ people’s lives. This is notcrimination still lingers in Yukari’s enough to tackle the everyday
mind. Yukari’s colleague, Takumi,
struggles of the LGBTQ community,
who no longer works for the same
such as those presented by Yukari’s
company, was ridiculed by a cowork- story.
er. The co-worker scornfully
In addition to failing to address
laughed at Takumi, claiming thatthehumanistic,
daily struggles of
Takumi’s homosexuality grossed
LGBTQ
people,thecurrent partnerhim out. Using words like “okama,”
ship
systemalso
fails
to adequately
a discriminatory term forfulfillthe
LGBTQ
community’s
extransgender males, and “nabe,”
pectations.
For
instance,evenwhich corresponds to the derogatory“she-male” in English, the coworker though LGBTQ advocate for theirpartnership rights, some areas ofridiculed his LGBTQ coworkers.
Japan, do not even provide any
Yukari feels guilty about hiding partnership rights to LGBTQ peothe gender of her partner at work,ple.
however, in such a hostile work enEven in the places that havevironment, she feels she must reimplemented
partnership systems,
main quiet for her own protection.
marriageisstill
not illegal. This
Sadly, even while attempting to propresents
uniqueissues for people
tect her identity, Yukari’s efforts
like
Yukari,forexample,whose
often go to waste at the hands ofpartnerisaforeignnational.
Yudiscrimination. She has had herkari’sinability
tomarry
prevents
sexuality un-consensually revealed
her partner from attaining a visa,
to others by someone she trusted.
inhibiting their ability to live a norDiscrimination towards LGBTQ
mal life. In other words, while thepeople has become entrenched inpartnership system flaunts progresJapanese society in various ways.
Experiencing discrimination in her sivity, in reality, its effects on the
LGBTQ community are narrow, andeveryday life, Yukari wants nonLGBTQ people to realize how their to some, trivial. Yukari and herpartner earnestly hope that the govactions and remarks might harmernment will improve this policy.
LGBTQ people.
If the LGBTQ community’s
While we may be eager to revoice is so loud, and its needs sojoice at Nagoya’s recent implemen- pertinent, why is the governmenttation of the partnership-system,turning a blind eye? The reason,
experiences like Yukari’s make us
according to our interviewees, isquestion whether such policies arebecause the Japanese government
enough. After all, the policy only
only writes things down on paper,
allows LGBTQ to engage in romantic relationships, but has not effect

Top: “After The Rain,”a book of

failing to directly influence LGBTQ
people’s everyday sufferings anddifficulties.

Increasing awareness towards LGBTQ

interviews with LGBTQ people, edited by Ms. Yukari.
Above: LGBTQ couple that has fallen in love. Left: Hikaru-san Right;
Momoko-san.
Photo: Taken in Tokyo by Ms. Yukari.

What can we do to fix this? Yuma, a bisexual man in his twenties,
tells us the answer is empathy. Yuma has not declared himself to be ahomosexual because he wants tolive freely, without fear of discrimination. Having suffered from bullying and discrimination in his childhood, Yuma understands just how
difficult it can be for LGBTQ people

Michael, for example, a bisexual male living in Canada, had a very
unique experience of discriminationin his childhood. Although he is bisexual, he claimed to be gay when
he first revealed his sexuality, because lots of people did not believethat bisexuality was possible. In theminds of the public, you were either
to engage openheartedly with those two was impossible. When he finallyaround them. If people did not bully revealed himself to be bisexual, peohim, and treated him as a normal
ple called him a liar, and he wasperson, Yuma believes he could
even bullied by other LGBTQ peohave lived a better life, and reple.
mained true to his identity. He
Michael’s experience is a prime
hopes that as many people as possiexampleof the complex struggles
ble can begin to empathize with sufthat
LGBTQ
people encounter inferings like his. If they do so, pertheireverydaylives. If we want tohaps they can become aware of
tackletheseissues,we need to intheir own discrimination and comvesttimetocontemplate
LGBTQ
placent behaviors. Empathy, Yuma
struggles,
developing
creativesoluclaims, paves the path to a world
tions
that
will
producesubstantial
where everyone can be free of theeyes and expectations surrounding results.
them.
In Japan, it may be effective to
Nonetheless, if we simply standhere throwing around the word
“empathy,” without actually doing
anything, we will remain just ascomplacent as the Japanese government. Understanding LGBTQ
struggles requires effort andthought. After all, sexuality, justlike love, is complicated. It can produce unique struggles that are notquickly understood.

actively collaborate with LGBTQ
communities and convey information about LGBTQ to the generalpublic. As a matter of fact, othercountries are already doing this.
The United Kingdom’s National Advisor for LGBTQ health, for example, is working to improve gender
identity services and understandthe mental struggles of LGBTQ. As
part of a new initiative to combat
LGBTQ hatred, the French govern-

Continued on page 4

December, 2020

Nagoya University of Foreign Studies(３) Business

Small Business Survival Race

The Local Backbone of Japan’s
COVID-19 Economyof video and music streaming has
increased by 12%.
With the internet’s acceleration, businesses like Florist Yotsuba
haven’t hesitated to use applications such as Zoom, which make itpossible to create online meetingsand online courses. For Florist
Yotsuba, the emergence of zoom
could facilitate the creation of
online weddings, enabling the business to host such happy celebrations online.
Along with online weddings,
Florist Yotsuba’s goal is to increase
its online presence. In addition to
dealing with online orders, Sachikoand Morimichi added more products
to their online shop, marketed intensively on Facebook and Instagram, and used more hashtags. Allof their initiatives to adapt theirbusinesses to the pandemic eventually paid off. Atelier Roots and Florist Yotsuba received more reviews
and online customers than they hadeven before the pandemic began.

By Julie FRANCKE

solutions to ensure that people cancontinue sharing their love witheach other during the pandemic.

Since the onset of Covid-19,
In 2020, the Japanese Chain
Florist Yotsuba has faced many fiStore Association released stagger- nancial difficulties at the hands ofing information that revealed the
COVID-19 countermeasures. Since
resiliency of Japan’s local retailers. March 9th, the Japanese governWhile the value of Japan’s ement has highly promoted
commerce market has risen by“mittsunomitsu”, or "Avoid thenearly 10 trillion yen over the past Three Cs", which refers to closed
ten years, physical retailers remain spaces, crowded spaces, and close
as strong as ever, with the number contact settings. Due to theseof shops increasing by nearly 2000
measures, Japanese people avoided
over the same period. In the wake of going outside and shopping, which
this online era, the local stores that considerably reduced the number of
we hold dear to heart remain a
Florist Yotsuba’s customers.
strong pillar of the Japanese econo- Moreover, because people had tomy.
avoid crowds and gatherings, they
Yet, COVID-19 has meant that also had to cancel or postpone theirpeople have no choice but to shop
wedding ceremonies. At one point,
online. So, when a pandemic hapthis reduced Florist Yotsuba’s averpens, what happens to our local
age fifteen-wedding-per-monthstores? How can they hope to surschedule all the way down to zero.
vive?
"Before COVID-19, our main bridal
A stone’s throw away from Fujigaoka station, in the tranquil urban area near Irigaike park, one
might stumble upon Sachiko andher husband, Morimichi, decorating
their floristry with a whimsical array of flowers. Hosting weddings,
conducting ikebana classes, andproviding flowers for local graduations, Florist Yotsuba plays an important role in Nagakute’s local
community. The business operates
under two names. The first, Atelier
Roots, is a general flower retailer,
while the second, Florist Yotsuba,
specializes in weddings.

line had around 10 to 15 weddings
per month, however, since COVID19, there were some moments when
we had 0."
In addition, compared to sales
from 2019, their overall 2020 sales
sunk by over 80%. Because of this,Sachiko and Morimichi deeply worried about bankruptcy and felt extremely powerless. Stories liketheirs ricocheted across Japan, withmore than 400 Japanese companies
closing down.

Admittedly, the Japanese government tried to prevent thosebankruptcies, providing tax reducAccording to Sachiko, “Though tions for every company and distribthe pandemic changed many things, uting relief payments of 100,000
people’s desire to express their love yen per household. However, Japathrough flowers has remained
nese people ended up criticizing
strong.” Receiving minimal assisthese measures. Indeed, many, intance from the government, Florist cluding Sachiko and Morimichi, beYotsuba has had to find innovative lieve that the government should

Above: A bouquet of flowers from
Florist Yotsuba website’s gallery
http://www.floristyotsuba.com/
wedding"Focusing on customer sentiment towards our products, bouquet
recipes, transitioning online, andusing tags, we tried to make it sothat many people could see our
products, not just customers thatcame to our store."

have given money only to the most
Sachiko and Morimichi believe
struggling businesses, investingthat their rise in online sales is not
more in healthcare sectors. After
only due to their adaptation toall, some businesses ended up makecommerce, but also to the ining more profits than they used tocreased popularity of online shopduring the crisis, especially elecping. The tendency to shop online intronics companies like Sony. MoreoCovid-19 and Florist Yotsuba’s adver, many small businesses manaptation to the Internet generated aaged to self-adapt, finding their own
huge increase in their online sales.
solutions to survive this pandemic
While their website used to earncrisis, and Florist Yotsuba is one oftens of thousands of yen per year,
them.
they succeeded in earning hundreds
In addition to losing sales forof thousands of yen in 2020. FurFlorist Yotsuba, Sachiko andther, their social media traffic inMorimichi also lost the sales fromcreased by 61%. Through adapting
their in-person customers at Atelier to the pandemic’s online propulsion,
Roots. Even as they saw their inbusinesses have the opportunity tocome drop considerably, they still
be consumed by more people. Some
had to deal with many expenses,
businesses, like Florist Yotsuba,
such as property taxes and utility
didn’t hesitate to make the most ofbills. Their floristry requires a non- this opportunity, promoting theirstop refrigeration system, whichbusinesses, and creating an online,
generates a high electricity bill.
emotional connection with customFurther, because flowers require aers.
lot of water to be preserved, the waEven if some businesses strugter bill is quite expensive. Sachikogled to adapt to the COVID-19 panand Morimichi had to manage these
demic, many companies, like Atelier
bills, even though they had almost
Roots and Florist Yotsuba, successno customers.
fully found solutions on their own.
Clearly, local stores’ resiliency to
Rapid adaptation to thethe explosion of ecommerce also applies to the current pandemic. For
Internetsome small businesses, finding solutions to adapt is not difficult, andDue to COVID-19, many busithis isn’t surprising. Fewer employnesses were worried about breaking ees and fewer managers leads toeven. In order to avoid bankruptcy, faster decisions.
many business owners relied on the
Although a small businesses
high possibilities that the Internet
like
Florist
Yotsuba succeeded inoffers to improve their brand andself-adapting
to COVID-19, this issales. On a global scale, the use of
the Internet has increased by 70%
Continued on page 4
since the pandemic, and the amount(４) Special

Nagoya University of Foreign Studies

tion in re-opening the country. Although the government never resuggests that, whilst it would belaxed COVID restrictions for sports
nice for people to arrive and watch venues, they did so for many otherthe Olympics if the protective
facets of daily life. For instance,measures are safe enough, it would they allowed cafés and restaurants
probably be safer to increase its
to function with nearly no reonline accessibility.
strictions. This, compounded byschemes encouraging the public toThis paves the way for the big‘eat out to help out’, has had cataquestion: are the government andstrophic effects on the UK, leading
the professional sports industry
to a second lockdown, with the panacting too quickly, valuing the econdemic looking as bleak as it everomy over public safety? After a perihas. There are whispers of a return
od of silence, a wordless and wary
to normalcy in the UK by the winnod gives the answer to the quester of 2021, and many would givetion I have been seeking. This poses
anything to be in Japan’s current
a sordid question; is the economy
position regarding COVID-19. From
truly worth more than the livelia first-hand perspective, experienchood of people like Mei? This hits
ing the mistakes of a government
me close to home. After all, the govtoo eager to boost its economy, I
ernment of my home nation—thewish to give a simple message to
UK—took the same risk of fast acJapan. Avoid the same blunders we

December, 2020

From page 1

are no different from LGBTQ people. We cannot solely rely on fancy-ment has created a website called
policies and official documents to“Educating against LGBTphobia” to achieve this goal. Instead, we must
increase LGBTQ awareness. Moreo- listen to each other’s sufferings andver, Canada’s “LGBTQ2 Action
worries, reorienting our thoughts,
Plan” is implementing virtualand actively preventing LGBTQ
roundtable discussions with actual discrimination in our everyday
members of the LGBTQ community lives.
to improve governmental policies.
Through such activities, people will From page ３
be able to listen to the LGBTQ community. They may be inspired to
improve the everyday sufferings of not the case for the government andLGBTQ people that Japan’s govern- bigger companies. According to Forrester, a Global market researchment fails to address.
company, for each hour that a large
Because the Japanese govern- corporate team spends working, 48
ment does not directly work withminutes is dedicated to waiting. Big
LGBTQ communities, the everyday structures require lots of time tolives of LGBTQ people have notmake decisions; they are tethered
seen substantial improvement. The by bureaucracy. The delayed decigovernment’s lack of active initiasion-making process can restrict big
tive has stunted public awarenessorganizations, resulting in either
towards LGBTQ, resulting in dishasty or slow decision making.
crimination and complacency. Mi"Many large corporations havechael, Yukari, and Yuma have sufcome
to develop in isolation fromfered from such complacency.
the rest of the world. They used toMichael, Yukari, and Yuma
be the examples that companies ofhave suffered from such complacen- other countries wanted to follow,
cy. What they want in repayment
but now they have been caught up
for their sufferings: empathy andto and overtaken."mutual understanding—for nonThese organizations should
LGBTQ people to realize that theylearn from the adaptability of small

From page 2

have made. As we in the UK prepare for the long-lasting consequences of naively eager government policies, do not squander yourlaboured path to improvement.

Above: Barcelona F.C's stadium, theCamp Nou, when it is empty. The football stadium is enormous, and when it
is empty, it becomes barren and soulless.
Photo: by Rupert Lamb in April 2015.

businesses like Sachiko andMorimichi's. Obviously, we can’t
expect big companies to make decisions as fast as small and mediumsized businesses do, but there are
solutions. Large businesses could
prioritize short-circuits or increase
communication by adapting to theInternet even more, for example.
Thanks to their ability to makequick decisions, small businesses
proved to adapt much more efficiently to the pandemic than big
companies. They not only succeededin adapting to the pandemic, allowing Japan’s economy to survive, butalso created new ways to connect
and share emotion through the Internet. While large corporations
have been struggling to make decisions, small businesses, such as Flo- Avobe: "Avoid the three Cs", a Japrist Yotsuba, have become the back- anese PSA, created the Japanesebone of Japan's COVID-economy.
government in March 2020.

Notes：The 6th edition of The NUFS Times was conceived entirely online.

COVID-19 has kept exchange students Julie Francke of France, and Miles
Ager of England from coming to Japan, however, they crossed international
borders to work online with NUFS student, Chihiro Usami.
The students collected materials and data, writing articles on topics oftheir choice, without being restricted to a particular theme. The result: adiverse array of articles that have grappled with various world issues. They
would like to express their deep gratitude towards Jacob Teichrib, who guided them through the entire process. Without his help, this issue would nothave come to fruition.

Editor in Chief: Kazuhiko KOJIMA, Adviser: Hiroko TOKUMOTO, Adviser & Proofreader: Jacob TEICHRIB