Asia News: Rock In Japan Fest Cancels, Seoul Social Distancing

Rock In Japan
 – Rock In Japan

Rock In Japan Called Off Again 
The Rock In Japan Festival, often citest as the biggest summer music festival in Japan based on attendance, was canceled July 7 for the second year running. The festival was scheduled to take place in the middle of August for five days spread over two weekends in a park in the coastal city of Hatachinaka, about two hours north of Tokyo, and a full roster of all-Japanese acts had been announced last spring. However, according to the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper, a doctors association in the prefecture of Ibaraki, where Hitachinaka is located, sent a letter to the organizers of the festival asking them to call off the event, saying that infections were again on the rise and that only a very small percentage of Ibaraki residents had been vaccinated so far. If the organizers did decide to proceed with the festival, then the doctors asked them to enforce countermeasures to prevent transmission of the virus, including “controlling the audience’s behavior.”

As it stood, Rockin’ On, the magazine that produces Rock In Japan, had already limited available tickets to half the usual number, with about 20,000 having been sold per day so far. Restricting the number further would thus be very difficult and surely have to involve a lottery of some kind. In addition, “controlling behavior” would also be difficult outside the festival grounds, and so Rockin’ On decided to cancel the festival entirely. On the Rockin’ On website, president and noted music critic Yoichi Shibuya wrote, “We are bitterly disappointed, but the risk of delaying the decision is too large as expenses grow by tens of millions of yen daily. As cooperation and understanding from the local community and medical workers are essential for the festival, we had no choice but to cancel it if we could not respond adequately to the request.”

An official of the Ibaraki Medical Association told Mainichi that the concerns of the group went further than those stated in the letter. Local hospitals that normally receive festivalgoers while Rock In Japan is going on had expressed alarm because they wouldn’t necessarily know if someone was suffering from COVID symptoms or, say, heatstroke, a malady common among people who attend summer music festivals. Tests for COVID could not be administered in a timely manner. And since the national vaccination policy is to inoculate older people first and most festivalgoers are young people, very few attendees would likely be vaccinated. In Japan right now, the delta variant of the coronavirus is spreading rapidly among younger people mostly.

Several days later the English language daily The Japan Times reported that a number of artists as well as music fans had expressed frustration and even outrage that the festival had been cancelled while the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is still taking place during a government-mandated state of emergency. In addition, Rock In Japan will not qualify for financial aid from the government. Normally, the government would cover up to ¥25 million ($267,000) in costs if an event is shut down due to the pandemic. However, since Ibaraki Prefecture was not under a state of emergency declaration by the central government at the time the festival was cancelled, it is not eligible for the relief money. The news is particularly significant for other events that remain on the summer festival schedule, like the Fuji Rock Festival, which takes place at the end of August, and Supersonic, the first Japanese festival since the start of the pandemic to feature non-Japanese artists, which will be in September.

Shibuya had said in his statement that the only reason they had decided to proceed with the festival was because they had consulted with national and local government officials and had been given the go-ahead. He also betrayed some confusion over the vagueness of the Ibaraki Medical Association’s request, saying that they didn’t specify what constituted “increased spread of infection.” This stated sense of uncertainty exacerbated the frustration of the stakeholders in the festival. 

The matter went as high as the Japanese prime minister, who was asked by a reporter to respond to those who wonder why the Olympics is going ahead when so many other events of much smaller scale are being compelled to cancel. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga answered that it was unfortunate that Rock in Japan would not take place but insisted that the Olympic and Paralympic Games are being treated “the same as other events in terms of restrictions.”

Yojiro Noda of the popular rock band Radwimps weighed in on his home page, saying, “Many experts have already pointed out that the number of infections is expected to increase as a result of the Olympics, whether spectators are allowed to attend or not, but things have still proceeded on the premise that it will happen. Behind this [scenario], domestic industries and events are making sacrifices, and I just feel gutted.”
Seoul Implements Toughest Social Distancing Measures Including 10 PM Concert Cut-Off 
The pandemic situations in Japan and South Korea are frighteningly similar at the moment: a sudden spike in infections centered on the delta variant of the coronavirus and a precipitous drop in vaccination rates due to unexpected shortages of doses. On July 12, Seoul implemented its toughest social distancing measures, thus putting a brake on a return to normality for the city’s usually thriving concert and performing arts industries. According to Yonhap news, social distancing rules were raised to their highest level, which means all classical concerts, theatrical plays and stage musicals must end by 10 p.m. In addition, an empty seat must be reserved between every two persons, and those two persons should have purchased tickets together. 

Since most stage productions in Korea start at 7:30 or 8 p.m., producers have had to hustle to reschedule performances for the time being, which means also shortening intermissions and curtain calls. Under the previous social distancing rules, parties of up to four could sit together before an empty seat was mandated, so it’s likely there will be a demand for refunds.