Japan’s “soft” but not ineffective approach to public health during the COVID-19 pandemic

Osaka, Japan – In contrast to the lockdowns imposed in many countries around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Japanese authorities issued health advisories and counted on citizens to follow them voluntarily. Now, researchers from Japan have investigated how this approach affected public psychology and health-related behaviors during and after the pandemic.

In a study published this month in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, researchers from Osaka University have revealed the findings of a panel survey conducted in 30 waves between January 2020 and March 2024 examining the impact of Japan’s state of emergency declarations on public behaviors and perceptions.

The Japanese government declared a “state of emergency” during the pandemic. However, the health advisories and restrictions varied regionally, based on the severity of infection levels. “We discovered that despite regional variations in restrictive policies from April 2020, there were no clear regional differences in changes to hygiene behaviors, social activities, or risk perceptions,” notes lead author of the study Mei Yamagata. “This suggests that there were significant spillover effects between the areas targeted for a state of emergency and elsewhere, whether through shared social and informational networks or simply through the media.”

The researchers examined panel data on about 1,200 Japanese citizens throughout the country who were surveyed repeatedly over the course of slightly more than 4 years, starting from the outbreak of the pandemic.

“People’s awareness of the risks associated with COVID increased after a state of emergency was declared in certain regions,” says Michio Murakami, author. “We also saw a significant increase in hygienic behaviors such as mask-wearing and hand-disinfection. Even after the state of emergency was lifted in late May 2020, people tended to continue to follow these hygienic practices for some time.”

In May 2023, the Japanese government officially downgraded the legal status of COVID to the same level as seasonal flu. The study also investigated how this policy change impacted citizens’ attitudes and behaviors.

“We found that the relaxation policy had several noteworthy effects,” comments Asako Miura, senior author. “After it, people became less fearful of catching COVID and were less likely to engage in hygienic behaviors such as mask-wearing. Interestingly, we found that by this stage, people over 42 were less likely than younger people to wear a mask – a phenomenon that may be explained by optimism bias on the part of older people regarding their chances in the event of infection.”

Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that the COVID-19 pandemic is the last global public health emergency we will face, so there would seem to be much to be said for learning from the Japanese experience of managing the pandemic by obtaining the public’s cooperation.

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The article, “Effects of political treatments during the COVID-19 pandemic on infection-prevention behavior and risk perception: a panel data analysis of Japan,” was published in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction at DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2025.105201

About Osaka University
Osaka University was founded in 1931 as one of the seven imperial universities of Japan and is now one of Japan’s leading comprehensive universities with a broad disciplinary spectrum. This strength is coupled with a singular drive for innovation that extends throughout the scientific process, from fundamental research to the creation of applied technology with positive economic impacts. Its commitment to innovation has been recognized in Japan and around the world. Now, Osaka University is leveraging its role as a Designated National University Corporation selected by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to contribute to innovation for human welfare, sustainable development of society, and social transformation.
Website: https://resou.osaka-u.ac.jp/en