Photo/Illutration Commuters in Osaka city on their way home on Dec. 22 walk by screens showing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaking to reporters after the first community transmission of the Omicron variant in Japan was reported in Osaka. (Tatsuro Kanai)

When you enter a pitch-dark movie theater, you can't see a thing at first. You need to proceed cautiously, lest you bump into someone.

As your eyes adjust to the dark, rows of seats begin to emerge. This process is known as "dark adaptation."

The opposite of this is "light adaptation." When you turn on the light in the middle of the night, you are temporarily blinded by the glare and it takes a while before you can see again.

The retina of the eye is not capable of adapting immediately to sudden changes in various levels of light.

It has been a little over two months since Prime Minister Fumio Kishida replaced Yoshihide Suga, but perhaps we have yet to fully adjust to the change.

The murkiness of the Suga era owed to the prime minister's failure to heed opposing views as well as his inability to say things that resonated with the public.

Then Kishida came along, touting his ability to "listen" and "talk," and that was all it took to create the impression that light had displaced the darkness. I imagine this has so far contributed to the stability of his approval ratings.

And we may still be in the process of light adaptation from the years of the Shinzo Abe administration.

Kishida came across as having made a brilliant decision when all he did was to declare he would "throw away" the massive number of leftover cloth masks Abe had intended to distribute to every household--a huge waste, as it turned out.

But when you think objectively, Kishida hasn't been very decisive at all.

On the matter of the 100,000 yen ($875) pandemic relief package, for instance, he waffled big time.

He "listened" to Komeito and agreed to give out the package. He then "listened" to the Finance Ministry and others to give half the amount in coupons.

And finally, he "listened" to the desperate pleas from local governments to do away with the coupon idea and agreed "cash only" handouts would be OK.

As for the falsification of documents over the Moritomo Gakuen scandal and the controversy over the government's refusal to appoint members to the Science Council of Japan despite the latter's recommendation, Kishida is leaving these issues in the dark, so to speak.

Our eyes should become adjusted to this reality before long.

What is Kishida going to do to curb the spread of the Omicron variant?

Right now, this is the first thing we need to focus our eyes on.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 23

* * *

Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

Related News