I used to work in one of Japan’s Top 3 Biopharma in a management board capacity. Let me tell you that Prof Fukushima is not your random doctor. This man is a legend with over 40 years of experience. He is currently the Professor Emeritus at Kyoto University which is one of the Top 3 universities in Japan.
The pressure must be building up for Japan to recall the dangerous mRNA vaccine. In Pharma, we usually categorize the globe into USA, Japan, EU5 (top 5 Europe countries), LATAM, and Asia. When a big country like Japan recalls a product - it's only a matter of time before the rest follow suit.
Beside him is Kawada Ryuhei, an activist who won a seat in the House of Councillors in Japan. He contracted HIV when he was ten years old because of tainted blood.Many people are complaining that he is wearing a mask. It’s not a big deal to wear a mask in Japan. I used to live near Shinagawa, a main train/subway station. During peak hours it looks like this. Many people wear masks in public pre-pandemic.
Some wear them throughout the day. It helps, especially during peak hours after work, because it smells terrible when you are on a crowded train.
Japanese authorities take Drug Safety much more seriously than Western countries. They demand to see clinical trials with the Japanese population because the Japanese have relatively “smaller” body sizes, and some drug dosages are too high when recommended by western guidelines.
Japanese authorities and corporations are generally fearful of the public because trust and respect are crucial in Japanese society. This is why you see Professor Fukushima speak so passionately with the authorities.
In 2018, one of the subway trains left 25 seconds earlier than expected. There was a huge uproar, and they had to apologise publicly the next day! It was on National News.
Here’s another video and link to my orginal tweet on this topic.
Update Jan 1, 2023
Interview with Prof Masanori Fukushima
Prof. Masanori Fukushima's Outburst at Japanese's Health Ministry (Nov 25, 2022)