If hay fever is eradicated, the prime minister's name will go down in history.

What??!

What??!

Seconded, including every single item of punctuation.

I had to look up the Japanese original to the quote because on the face of it, it seemed like the stupidest thing I will read all year. But sure enough, dictionaries translate the term PM Kishida used, 「社会問題」, to "social problem", which in English one can easily misread as "a problem caused by society". Only further down the line dictionaries offer to translate it to "a problem for society", an "issue of public concern". Which I have to assume PM Kishida meant when he was talking about allergies.

Now I just have to wrap my head around one of the countermeasures proposed: special "cedar pollen allergy-relieving rice". You couldn't make it up if you tried.

Doping rice with cedar pollen sounds weird but early exposure to some allergens can be beneficial. But talk to a medical professional before doing stuff like that. Don't just experiment with allergens on your toddlers, as some allergens kill.

Replacing trees with low-pollen cedar seedlings has been raised before. It's not a solution to just cut down trees (we need more of them). Replacing problem plantings with naturally lower-pollen trees is sensible, especially if we are planning on planting lots more.

Modern anti-histamines are quite good and they should be easily available in Japan. The last time I visited I was told that I didn't need to fill in a Yakkan Shoumei for the ones I was bringing. Dose yourself up from before the season starts until it is over.

And anyone who erases hayfever would go down in history. Before modern anti-histamines, it was genuinely disabling and made your life wretched for more than half the year. The solution is more likely to be pharmaceutical than horticultural. There is a limit to how much we can reduce the pollen as the rest of the ecosystem needs it.

they could always reduce the cedar trees and diversify Japan's economy by exporting lumber.

This is about as likely as PM Kishida harvesting sunlight from cucumbers in jars.

However, it is true hayfever is a scourge for many and is either the costliest or almost the costliest medical condition for the Japanese health system. Doing something about it would help tens of millions of people and save billions of yen.

As with the ageing population, this will kind of right itself in time. Just as Japan won't be top heavy once the post-war baby boomers die off, the pollen from sugi trees will greatly fall once the trees get older. The post war planted sugi are still young enough to throw out lots and lots of pollen, much more than mature trees like those in shrines. Trees in unmanaged plantations, i.e., most of them, are too low quality for added-value use as timber, and should just be clear cut. Japan's default state is near jungle and the land will rewild in no time.

Fumio DaGenius?

If Fumio could raise wages that would be more of a miracle than this !

Or if he could stop going on holidays around the world under the pretense of diplomacy that would also be a miracle

"If hay fever is eradicated, the prime minister's name will go down in history."

Like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer????

(Who, in an incredible coincidence, also suffered from hay fever. Obviously.)

If hay fever is eradicated, the prime minister's name will go down in history

also, If useless LDP members that say ignorant things like Taro Yamada were eradicated, Japan might actually be a rich country, because they would no longer have to waste money on their salaries.

> Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's statement that hay fever is a social problem in Japan

you know what else is a “social problem” in Japan?

Low pay for hard working people and high pay for useless LDP members.l that waste everyone’s time making absurd statements such as these.

kohakuebisu

However, it is true hayfever is a scourge for many and is either the costliest or almost the costliest medical condition for the Japanese health system. Doing something about it would help tens of millions of people and save billions of yen.

Really? Costlier than cancer? Costlier than Alzheimer's and age-related health issues? Costlier than Covid has been for the last 3 years? That seems hard to believe.

I know that cedar is a particular problem in Japan but even if every cedar tree were cut down, there are still plenty of other plants that cause hayfever. They may not be native to Japan but i've seen the majority of these throughout my years on these islands: ragweed, dahlia, bermuda grass, sunflowers, chrysanthemums, oak trees, pine trees, poplars, walnut trees, nettle, sagebrush, lamb's quarters, English plantain, redroot pigweed, ryegrass, alder, ash, beech, cottonwood, date palm, mulberry, hickory, juniper, silver maple, willow, chamomile, goldenrod, amaranth, jasmine vine, wisteria, clematis, crocus, chenille, daffodil, dusty miller, geranium, hosta, impatiens, lily, verbena, pansy, columbine, petunia, periwinkle, rose, phlox,  snapdragon, salvia, thrift, tulip, zinnia, viburnum, hydrangea.

"If hay fever is eradicated, the prime minister's name will go down in history."

Like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer????

(Who, in an incredible coincidence, also suffered from hay fever. Obviously.)

Maybe we can start referring to Fumio as Rudolph?