Japan prime minister pledged on Friday to combat hayfever that causes huge economic loss. That anguish for the country’s residents every year: pollen.
Spring in Japan is best known for the blooming of its iconic cherry blossoms and the good cheer of flower-watching picnics, but for many, it is largely associated with sneezes.
Every spring, the country’s enormous tracts of cedar trees. In particular, emit powerful clouds of pollen, prompting many to seek comfort from prescription medication, surgical masks, and even special eyewear.
Experts and patients alike have dubbed this year’s season as the worst in a decade. Forcing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to hold the country’s first-ever high-level summit to address it.
“Hayfever is a national problem for Japan that affects many people,” he told the meeting on Friday, asking officials to develop solutions by June.
Cutting down cedar trees to replace them with species that produce less pollen is one of the recommendations, as is employing artificial intelligence like supercomputers to “fundamentally improve” Japan’s hayfever forecast system, according to land minister Tetsuo Saito.
According to one nationwide assessment, the condition is so widespread that it affects almost 40% of the Japanese population.
And the economic impact is significant due to lost productivity from hayfever-affected workers.
According to a 2020 poll conducted by electronics firm Panasonic, the country loses more than 220 billion yen ($1.6 billion) per day at the worst of pollen season.