Masayoshi Son, CEO of SoftBank Group, said that after reaching an agreement with Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD, he has ensured that 300 million masks will be supplied to Japan every month from May.
Son said on Twitter that SoftBank will cooperate with the Japanese government's "mask team" to donate two different masks, first of all for medical staff. The mask team was established to solve the shortage of masks caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
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ไธ็ๆๅคงใในใฏใกใผใซใผBYD็คพใจๆๆบใใSB็จ่ฃฝ้ ใฉใคใณ่จญ็ซใ
5ๆใใ็ดๅใๆ็ฃ3ๅๆ (ๅป็็จ้ซๆฉ่ฝN95ใ1ๅๆใไธ่ฌ็จใตใผใธใซใซใ2ๅๆ) ใ
ๆฟๅบใในใฏใใผใ ใจ้ฃๆบใๅณใใๅป็็พๅ ดใใฏใใใไธไบบใงใๅคใใฎไบบใ ใซSBใฏ็กๅฉ็ใงใในใฏใไพ็ตฆใใพใใhttps://t.co/0anaFcD7Ifโ ๅญซๆญฃ็พฉ (@masason) April 11, 2020
Solving the tight supply is the top priority of the Japanese government. The Japanese government will start shipping two washable masks to families next week. This move has been widely criticized on social media. People think that the Japanese government has not done enough.
The Japanese government also plans to produce 700 million disposable masks in the country.
Son has a long history of cooperation and investment with Chinese companies. He said BYD is building a new production line to produce masks.
A BYD spokeswoman said that BYD's production capacity has reached 15 million masks per day and confirmed that the company will supply masks to Softbank.
Softbank's supply will include 100 million N95 masks and 200 million general surgical masks. N95 masks can filter very small particles.
The epidemic of coronavirus prompted Son to return to Twitter. He complained on Twitter that Japan's response was led by politicians rather than scientists and conducted a poll of users'views on the government's response, with a view to exerting pressure to increase the government's efforts to promote social distance.
Son also slammed the Japanese government's weak response to the new coronavirus epidemic on Twitter. Son spoke of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's remarks about reducing social activities by 70% or 80% and said that because the government is not responding to the epidemic, people cannot achieve these goals.
Son wrote in Japanese: "They are very stingy on vacation subsidies, which prevents people from reducing interactive activities by 80%." He also questioned why the United States has made medical professionals responsible for the fight against epidemics, why Japan should have the Minister of Economy Responsible for the country's epidemic response.
Just a few weeks ago, Japan seemed to have escaped the new coronavirus epidemic that swept China, Europe and the United States. But in recent days, the number of infections in Japan has soared to record levels.
Japan's emergency statement affects jurisdictions that account for about half of the country's economic output, which has heightened concerns that Japanese economic output will plummet by as much as 20% this quarter.
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