I thought about “democracy” while soaking in the sea.

When you Google the word “democracy,” you will find that it is “a position in which the people have sovereignty, and are in charge of their own government, with their own hands, and for their own good. It is a way of life in which the people are guaranteed their own freedom and equality.

According to the Democracy Index 2018, Japan’s global ranking of democracy has been declining year after year. While the lack of diversity in the media is considered a major factor, I believe that the independence of the people is also a factor.

The United Kingdom announced that, despite criticism from the opposition, it will lift most of the regulations introduced to combat the new coronavirus, such as the mandatory wearing of masks and social distancing, beginning July 19, although the coronavirus has not been contained. They requested that individuals take personal responsibility for preventing infection, not government mandates.

If the prime minister of Japan were to make such a request, he would be roundly condemned by the media and the public. When Miyakejima erupted, I was watching a TV interview with an islander who said, “It was Governor Ishihara’s fault that the island erupted! He really meant it. I was surprised. Is that how much the Japanese people lack independence and dependence on their superiors?

It is easy to see from the British press articles.
Shift from ‘government diktat to personal responsibility’

The coronas do not go away immediately, but the government says that as long as two doses of the vaccine are administered, the rest is up to the individual to judge the risks and engage in economic activities. Whether this is considered irresponsible or not depends on the level of the individual. If personal responsibility is distorted as personal freedom, it will lead to social unrest and another intervention by the government. Does the government trust people? It is not a question of whether the government believes that the individual makes the society. So the responsibility of individuals is probably greater than they think.

Therefore, I believe that we should actively vaccinate our people, acquire collective immunity, and do our best to return society to the way it used to be. We cannot get rid of the corona by thinking that someone will vaccinate and it will go away.

If we cannot understand this, we will never have a mature democracy.

◆ Reference
England to lift mask requirement, etc., appealing for self-imposed corona measures.
http://a.msn.com/01/ja-jp/AALNPZf?ocid=st

Jun Fukuda’s blog, “Considering Democracy as an Experiment in the Political System” (11/2/2020)
http://spdy.jp/news/s7655/

Whatever Johnson says, we can’t defeat Covid with ‘personal responsibility’ alone | Stephen Reicher
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jul/06/boris-johnson-policy-pandemic-restrictions?fbclid=IwAR3pLvb_QJE_WQ963lKa9tMDBlcXTJokQPfXmkrni16VX8vbar1aC_cbDLs