"Thank you for buying only one item per family," says a sign above several shelves and pallets emptied of their contents, Sunday in a supermarket in central Tokyo. Like hygienic masks in recent weeks, toilet paper and handkerchiefs have become scarce in recent days in Japanese shops, causing queues of customers in front of stores before the opening and soaring prices on the Internet.
But while for several weeks the supply chains for protective masks have been effectively disrupted by the coronavirus epidemic, the rush towards other paper products has more to do with consumer fears fueled by rumors on social networks, which cause waves of purchases “as a precaution”, even with a view to speculating on the shortage. Friday, the words "toilet paper" topped the "trending topics" on Twitter in Japan.
こ れ が 鹿 児 島 の ド ラ ッ グ ス ト ア で す テ ィ ッ シ ュ も ト イ レ ッ ト ペ ー パ ー も キ ッ チ ン ペ ー パ ー も な ー ん に 😅 ter ter ter ter.
- ざ っ た み ん ぬ ん 👊 // 年 中 金 欠 💸 (@ channomu_01) February 28, 2020"The shortage of paper products is a false rumor," say posters on the empty shelves of a store in Kagoshima (southern Japan).
Government Calls Consumers "To Serenity"
On its website, the Japanese Ministry of Economy warns of online information about shortages of toilet paper and handkerchiefs. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called consumers "to be calm" in their purchases at a press conference on Saturday. "There are more than enough stocks of toilet paper and tissues to ensure the supply," responded in a statement the Japanese Paper Association, which groups manufacturers of by-products. The organization says most of these products are made in Japan and says the coronavirus will have no effect on production, which is not dependent on raw materials imported from China.
"Products are temporarily unavailable on the shelves, but that doesn't mean there is a general supply problem," said an official with the Japanese Association of Chain Stores on NHK public television. "Buying 10 or 20 boxes of products of which you usually only buy one or two copies is not only useless, but it encourages others to do the same by causing panic and a temporary stock-out", regrets- he.
As with masks, the empty shelves in stores caused the prices of these products to soar on the Internet. While most of the products at regular prices were sold out on Amazon Japan on Sunday, a set of five boxes of tissues sold 298 yen (2.50 euros) in stores was displayed at more than ten times this price.
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