Japanese Officials Berate Event Organizers Over COVID Protocols, Social Distancing

The much smaller-scaled hip-hop/R&B festival, Namimonogatary2021, which took place in the central Japan city of Tokoname at a convention center on Aug. 29, also went ahead under strict anti-COVID guidelines and has received even more criticism. The day after the festival happened, local governments in the vicinity blasted the organizer, Office Keef Co., headquartered in the city of Nagoya, for lax measures, according to a report by Kyodo News. 

The governor of Aichi Prefecture, where both Nagoya and Tokoname are located, held a press conference in which he cited the organizers for failing to enforce social distancing rules and allowing alcohol to be sold in the venue, which violated prefectural business restrictions implemented on August 8 for “large events.” Moreover, the prefectural government had capped audience numbers for such events at 5,000, and about 8,000 people attended the festival.

Namimonogatari, which means “wave story,” has been held annually since 2005, and this year participants were asked to stay at least one meter from one another and refrain from shouting. Everyone was required to wear masks. Originally, Keef Office had planned to sell 10,000 tickets.

The Aichi governor said that Keef Office would not be allowed to use any prefectural facilities in the future and has requested the company submit a full report on how it carried out its anti-COVID measures. In a statement, Keef Office admitted that audience members did not observe social distancing rules despite being constantly reminded to do so via public address system and jumbo screens. In the statement, Keef’s representatives apologized for the violations. As for alcohol, the company said it had already reported to the prefecture that prior to the anti-alcohol order it had purchased beverages and that it would limit sales to two drinks per person. 

Public officials weren’t the only persons who objected to what went on at the festival. Local hip-hop star Zeebra, who performed at the event, tweeted, “…I was told that rules set by the prefectural government will be followed, but it was a dangerous environment.”

Another act at the festival, Bad Hop, was scheduled to play a show on Sept. 1 and then headline its own festival the next day, both at Yokohama Arena, but due to the bad publicity of Namimonogatari, the organizer “postponed” the event indefinitely the day before it was set to take place. According to various media reports, rumors had spread that Bad Hop had “sponsored” Namimonogatari, thus earning the group undue bad press. Nevertheless, the organizer felt it had no choice but to put off the event.