I'm Joe, a columnist.

I’m Flagmaker, a column writer. So Mochizuki, you’re a man after all. I thought you were a woman and made a point of treating you politely. Guess that was a waste of effort（笑） Joe, thank you for mentioning me by name! The activities of the Hole-Filling Rod Association are basically all “secret rendezvous,” so we haven’t been affected all that much by COVID. Though lately, we’ve been striking out almost every time（笑） My wife has banned me from eating out. So even if I have a meal during a “secret rendezvous,” I go home pretending I haven’t eaten. Eating dinner twice is tough, so I started dieting and working on my physique as an excuse. When I come home after a “secret rendezvous,” I can use “I’m skipping dinner for my diet!” as my excuse. That said, I’ve genuinely been working hard on getting in shape, and I’m starting to see results. I guess I have COVID to thank for that. Work was also somewhat slow, so I started preparing for a side business. I dream of making it my main career someday. I have COVID to thank for that too. As for the “new lifestyle,” I’ve already been treated like a walking germ at home. Washing my hands multiple times and showering immediately after getting home have been mandatory for years, so my daily life hasn’t had to change much. That’s thanks to my wife（笑） As for the news and media coverage, I’ve always watched it with a healthy dose of skepticism. Of course, there are things I agree or disagree with, and things I support or don’t support. But I simply think that, from their respective positions, everyone is sincerely doing what they believe is right—whether good or bad—in order to boost ratings, raise approval numbers, make money, or fulfill the role expected of them. What really concerns me is how many people are influenced by it more than necessary. I think a “spirit of opposition” can easily be manipulated and used to incite people. This suddenly turned into a manga discussion, but the villains in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure often want to “change the world according to what they believe is right.” Their motives are actually fairly noble. Apparently, the reason Mr. Araki portrays them as villains is because: “Forcing your values on others is the greatest evil.” I hope we can respect one another’s different values, take everyone’s circumstances and backgrounds into consideration, and keep things running smoothly as a whole. It may not mean much coming from a “bad person” like me, though ^^; Tajima, things seem difficult for you as well, but I’m sure the efforts you’re making right now will lead to something next. So please keep at it!

I’m Basil, a male member. I’m also critical of the stay-at-home restrictions and the media and some politicians who encouraged them. The trains have felt almost back to normal since this week, but when I went on a date in the evening for the first time in a while yesterday, the city was still incredibly quiet. During the Lehman shock, they called it a once-in-a-century crisis, but this time we’ve damaged the economy even more. People have gotten used to living frugally at home, so I don’t think personal consumption will recover for quite some time. I wonder if the women at dating clubs will change as well. Will the women who just want to indulge in extravagant luxuries disappear, while more women who are desperate to become mistresses, like in the past, enter the scene? Rather than expanding toward the mass market, I feel there will be more demand for attentive services—perhaps something like a budget version of a salon.

I’m Joe, a columnist. I’m not sure whether I should answer my own question, though. Paper Airplane, I haven’t seen that program, but judging from the comment about a “large-built woman,” I’m pretty sure it was Ms. Kimura. When the state of emergency was declared, she appeared on a morning show. While many experts were saying the declaration had come far too late, she boldly said it had been “too early,” leaving the entire studio speechless (笑). She seems to have stopped being invited after that. Her comments can be quite extreme, but she’s an appealing woman with plenty of guts. I hear she can hold her liquor, too. I’d be happy to have a drink with her—and, if she wanted, I’d even be okay with sleeping with her (笑). Maezawa, Thank you for displaying it! Mac, I think Mochizuki is probably a man (笑). Rin, Thank you for the valuable information and your thoughts. Joe is a layperson, so I’m not really qualified to judge whether declaring a state of emergency was the right decision. As grounds for saying it was declared too early, Ms. Kimura cited: 1. The low number of deaths 2. The lack of evidence indicating that a collapse of the medical system was imminent At the same time, she attributed the first point to the efforts of medical workers and the character of the Japanese people. The former is certainly true, but I feel that emphasizing the latter could lead the discussion in an odd direction. As for the second point, the media kept warning day after day that “Japan would become like Italy,” so I’m not really sure what the truth is. This is something I heard from Ms. Kimura, but apparently Japan has more hospital beds per 1,000 people than Italy, while having fewer doctors, ventilators, and intensive-care beds. Even so, Ms. Kimura describes the fact that the medical system did not collapse as “miraculous.” This is about where I start having trouble following her thinking. I’ll take your advice and keep gathering information while thinking things through for myself. Thank you for your answer. I understand that you’re working on the front lines. It may sound like a cliché, but please take good care of yourself. I imagine you’re in a situation where you can hardly afford to think about such things, so I hope you won’t take offense. I simply couldn’t leave it unsaid.

I’m Paper Airplane, a male member. Back when the state of emergency was declared, there was one female commentator on the daytime wide show *Scramble*—tall, slender, and delicate-looking—who passionately argued that declaring a state of emergency was wrong and unnecessary. I vividly remember her insisting that Japan had succeeded in keeping the peak much smaller, so declaring a state of emergency was a mistake. Now that analyses suggest infections peaked in late March, I feel even more strongly that she was saying something truly worthwhile. She straightforwardly voiced what many Japanese people felt deep down but couldn’t say: Japan had kept the peak far smaller than those in Western countries for more than two months starting in January, so there was no way we would end up like New York. But after that, everything became focused on self-restraint, and it seems that kind of reporting stopped. Oh, it was Tajima-san, wasn’t it… Thanks to Tajima-san, the staff blog also started up again, so I think she deserves praise simply for having the courage to be the first one to speak out… What do you think? Considering all the staff members who quit, it must have become even harder than usual to write, don’t you think? P.S. Joe-san, Mac-san I searched for Kimura Moriyo-san, and the photos that came up were of the same person. Her comments may have seemed inappropriate, mistaken, and bizarre at the time, but amid all the one-sided opinions around her, she made some valuable points. She refreshingly spoke out about things everyone wanted to say but couldn’t. Of course, a state of emergency was necessary, and although people said it was far too late, I think one month was actually an appropriate period. People who could make comments like hers in that atmosphere were truly valuable. And Abe-san’s bold decision to close the schools and the explanations from the expert panel were excellent. I think that’s why we managed to avoid an overshoot, but his evaluation is pretty low… at least in Japan. Actually, Yoshimura-san is incredible. He’s always several steps ahead, to the point that even the media can’t keep up. Whenever hosts or commentators make a remark, it’s like, “Osaka already announced that and put it into practice ages ago.” Governor Yoshimura’s decisiveness and ability to act simply brushed aside every criticism, exposing the media’s lack of knowledge. His ability to act several weeks to a month ahead was superhuman… In Osaka, people have even formed an enthusiastic fan club, saying he has incredibly intense eyes… We Osaka residents are doing our best so we don’t make Yoshimura-san look bad. I joined the fan club too… P.P.S. Joe-san I’d love to see Kimura Moriyo-san back on TV, speaking her mind more and more! After Governor Yoshimura and Toru Hashimoto, I’d really like to hear plenty of comments from her too… Next, I absolutely love commentator Futagi-san’s voice. Her expression, the way she speaks, and the content of her comments—how wonderfully calm she is!

I’m Maezawa from the Corporate Planning Office. Content this passionate deserves to be displayed as is. (笑) What about the rule that says only questions should be displayed? We do make exceptions for messages of thanks and support, so I don’t think this counts as a violation. Thank you for your post.