[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] A Japanese expert who exposed the chaotic quarantine measures led by the Japanese government on the cruise ship Diamond Princess, where a COVID-19 cluster infection occurred, deleted a YouTube video, sparking controversy over external pressure.
According to NHK and others on the 20th, Iwata Kentaro, a professor of infectious diseases at Kobe University Hospital and a member of the Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) dispatched by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, who boarded the Diamond Princess, posted on his Twitter that morning, "I sincerely apologize to those who were inconvenienced," and added, "I think there is no longer any reason to continue the discussion," before deleting the YouTube video.
The video deleted that day was posted on the 18th and sharply criticized the Japanese authorities’ inadequate quarantine measures based on Iwata’s experiences on the cruise ship. In the 14-minute video, Professor Iwata said, "It was an incredibly miserable situation, and I felt scared from the bottom of my heart," pointing out that even medical staff on the Diamond Princess felt fear of infection because the Japanese authorities’ quarantine measures were irrational. As one example, he noted that the quarantine principle is to clearly distinguish between the dangerous "Red Zone" and the safe "Green Zone," but on the Diamond Princess, there was no clear distinction between where was dangerous and where was not.
As the controversy over the video grew, Kato Katsunobu, Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, held a late-night press conference the previous day and rebutted, saying, "An infection control expert team is stationed on board, guiding the activities of medical workers and crew members." He also argued against Professor Iwata’s claim that the Red Zone and Green Zone were mixed, causing the spread of infection, stating, "We are managing by separating areas with high infection risk from those without."
Although Professor Iwata revealed that he deleted the video himself, questions have arisen as to whether external pressure was involved in the process. At a press conference that day, Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide explained, based on Minister Kato’s previous day’s explanation, that Professor Iwata made claims that were not factual and firmly denied any involvement in the video deletion. He also claimed that although Iwata entered the ship as a member of the disaster medical assistance team, he tried to act independently, and it was judged inappropriate, so he was asked to disembark.
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