No masking the mockery: Japan two-mask pledge ripped online

Abe, wearing a face mask amid concerns over the spread of Covid-19 coronavirus, attends a meeting at the parliament in Tokyo on April 1, 2020. Within hours of his ‘two masks per household’ announcement, the hashtag ‘Abenomasks’ was trending on Japanese Twitter. — AFP

TOKYO: A pledge by Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to send two reusable cloth face masks to every household as the country battles the coronavirus outbreak has been met online with derision and humour.

Within hours of the announcement, the hashtag "Abenomasks", a play on the prime minister's signature "Abenomics" economic policy, was trending on Japanese Twitter.