We may see problems with Japan's economy crop up as the pandemic drags on:
Basically, social distancing doesn't work at all in major Japanese cities, because their fucked up business practices don't lend themselves to telecommuting and most businesses are decades behind the times in terms of what tech they're running (not a surprise if you've done a little digging into Japanese businesses). Also, since Japan relies a lot on WiFi hotspots instead of hardline connections, you can bet that even if businesses were more willing to do telecommuting, their internet would go to shit even worse than Europe's has.
Low-tech Japan challenged in working from home amid pandemic
TOKYO (AP) — When the Japanese government declared an emergency to curb the spread of the coronavirus earlier this month and asked people to work from home, crowds rushed to electronics stores.
apnews.com
Many Japanese lack the basic tools needed to work from home. Contrary to the ultramodern image of Japan Inc. with its robots, design finesse and gadgetry galore, in many respects the country is technologically challenged.
But the bigger obstacle is Japanese corporate culture, experts say. Offices still often rely on faxes instead of email. Many homes lack high-speed internet connections, and documents often must be stamped in-person with carved seals called “hanko,” which serve as signatures. So many Japanese really cannot work remotely, at least not all the time.
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A lack of up-to-date IT systems means Japan lags in nurturing flexible work practices, office rules, management methods and even attitudes toward remote work. It’s one factor contributing to relatively low labor productivity.
“Telework requires that managers trust and delegate much more decision-making to employees because it takes too much time in email or Skype to check with the boss,” said Benes, who heads the Board Director Training Institute of Japan, a non-profit that offers management and governance training.
Basically, social distancing doesn't work at all in major Japanese cities, because their fucked up business practices don't lend themselves to telecommuting and most businesses are decades behind the times in terms of what tech they're running (not a surprise if you've done a little digging into Japanese businesses). Also, since Japan relies a lot on WiFi hotspots instead of hardline connections, you can bet that even if businesses were more willing to do telecommuting, their internet would go to shit even worse than Europe's has.