"Business Manager Maesato Vol. 1: Thoughts on the extension of the state of emergency"
The state of emergency has been extended until the end of May, but businesses that have been obediently cooperating with the government's requests have been voluntarily suspending operations since April, so even if the state of emergency is lifted as planned, they will not be open for almost two months. (Ours is one of them.)
This is fatal for retail stores, especially restaurants. With some stores already going out of business, extending the restrictions could take away the energy of businesses that were barely hanging on.
Very few people can start again
We often hear the saying, "If you're alive, you'll make a V-shaped recovery," but this is a broad statement and doesn't apply to individuals.
Will the elderly store owner, whose only support was the smiles of his customers, be able to maintain his energy with such an uncertain future?
What will happen to the business managers who have managed to maintain employment through daily efforts? Will they be able to dismiss their businesses with a simple "That's why that business model is no good!?"
The reality of the small business owners who have protected Japan's economy and employment seems too sad to be called a complete elimination, and I think it must be extremely difficult for people who have failed in a business that operates on a daily basis, barely, in Japan's unique culture, to recover once they have failed.
Starting a business
To begin with, I think that people who become independent and start their own businesses are prepared for all kinds of risks. Of course, these are risks that they can anticipate, and there's no point in thinking about exceeding them.
But I have a kind of resolve to somehow overcome whatever comes my way, and I believe that the reward for having the courage and resolve to take that risk is the right to "do what I want."
With that in mind, I can't help but wonder if it's really okay to rely on someone else, demanding "compensation! compensation!", even in a situation like this.
What if this leads to a recession like the one that occurred during the Lehman Shock, and people simply stop spending money?
What if this were wartime and the country and everyone had no money to spend?
Wouldn't it be difficult to get "compensation" from the national or local government? Even if something like "institutional loans" were possible?
With that in mind, I would be very grateful for any form of "compensation" that is linked to a "request" like this one.
I was a little surprised at how smoothly I was able to apply for the business continuity subsidy online.
We pay for criticism
Almost every day, TV commentators say plausible things like "this and that," but it doesn't add anything.
It's just celebrities who have no experience in politics or economics who are "making money from criticism." (Though some people are different.)
They make money by criticizing, so they have to criticize anyway, and for some reason criticism is popular (laughs).
It's strange, but people prefer dark and unsettling news to positive news for some reason. That's why there's demand for it, and that's why the criticism business exists.
Next time we will look at how financial institutions are responding.