Japanese students protest schools reopening, despite sharp increase in coronavirus cases

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Students in eastern Japan are protesting the reopening of schools as the nation records its biggest daily increase in coronavirus cases.

Third-year students at Hitachi Daiichi High School held demonstrations over three days as schools reopened in the Ibaraki prefecture. Japan had closed schools in late February as part of a measure to combat the spread of COVID-19.

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The students filed a strike notice with the Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education, arguing that measures to prevent the spread of the virus need to be taken as early as possible, even if infections are low.

The notice also pointed out that a school environment is “prone to high infection risks,” but that “the prefectural board of education hasn't provided any specific guidelines for infection prevention."

According to The Mainichi, a Japanese newspaper, the students demanded the school remained closed until “adequate supplies of masks and other protective equipment are secured.”

The students further asked for online classes to continue their studies uninterrupted, among other measures.

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An Ibaraki Prefectural Government official told the newspaper: "We will take the students' opinions sincerely, though there is no change to the prefectural government's course of action. If they ever contact us, we'd like to explain our position in a careful manner."

The school confirmed that students were missing from classes each day of the protest. Of the 233 students that attend the school, 36 were absent on the first day, 82 on the second day and 76 on the final day.

Japan closed schools in a “shock” move after initial criticism of the government’s response to the growing pandemic, as reported by The New York Times. While the move initially angered many local governments, parents approved of the “bold measure” to help stop the spread of the disease.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, second right, declares a state of emergency during a meeting of the task force against the coronavirus at the his official residence in Tokyo, Tuesday, April 7, 2020. Abe declared a state of emergency for Tokyo and six other prefectures to ramp up defenses against the spread of the coronavirus. (Franck Robichon/Pool Photo via AP)

After a few weeks, a government panel convened to discuss the possibility of extending the closure beyond the start of the new school year, which happens in April in Japan. As reported by Japan Times, officials were divided as to whether or not it was wise to extend the closures.

Ultimately, the government decided there was no reason to keep schools closed, particularly in prefectures with low numbers of coronavirus cases.

As of Saturday, the Ibaraki prefecture had 101 confirmed cases. While not as low as other areas that count only two or three dozen cases, such as the Akita and Fukushima prefectures, Ibaraki fares far better than Tokyo, which has 1,902 confirmed cases, or even Osaka, which has 766.

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Japan’s coronavirus situation has continued to deteriorate, with 743 new confirmed cases recorded Saturday – the most on a single day since the pandemic started. Earlier this week, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a national state of emergency.

The Japanese government faced increased scrutiny from the international community, particularly with the Olympic Games due to start in Tokyo in the summer. Once the virus developed into a global pandemic, Abe postponed the games.

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Japan currently has 6,748 confirmed cases, with 108 deaths.