The Emergence and Modification of the Concept of '(Overlapping) Three Cs'

a problem in public communication in Japan's coronavirus disease (COVID-19) response
TANAKA Sigeto <http://tsigeto.info>
(Graduate School of Arts and Letters, Tohoku University)
Annual Reports of Graduate School of Arts and Letters, Tohoku University. 70:140-116 (2021-03-07)

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URI: http://tsigeto.info/21a
OSF project: https://osf.io/tm9g3/
Blog entry: https://remcat.hatenadiary.jp/entry/20201007/25ba6

Abstract

The concept of “three Cs” (situations characterized by three conditions of closed space with poor ventilation, crowding, and close contact with a short distance) has played an important role in Japan's COVID-19 response. The government and experts have employed this concept to guide people in avoiding such situations in order to prevent outbreaks. To investigate the emergence and modification of this concept, the author traced government documents. The findings were as follows. (1) On February 29, 2020, the government, for the first time, appealed to the public to avoid places with the three overlapping conditions. (2) On March 18, a new Japanese phrase was coined that was later translated as “the (overlapping) three Cs.” (3) On April 1, experts defined the term as a place that satisfied all the three conditions. (4) On April 7, the government modified the definition to include places with at least one of the three conditions. (5) However, the government and experts have not explained the difference betw een the two definitions to the public. (6) Rather, they insist that their policy on the need for avoiding these three conditions has been consistent and unchanged. Their conduct has led to miscommunication and misunderstanding among the public.

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[Manuscript PDF] [Manuscript PDF on OSF] [Manuscript PDF on Academia.edu]


Tohoku Univ / School of Arts and Letters / Innovative Japanese Studies / TANAKA Sigeto


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