This is not a report about a new variant, but that they found 5 cases of B.1.1.7 (the UK one) in Japan.

Thanks.

Well, then it's news because it means that Japan is now going to face, or has been facing, much faster spread than before.

The South African variant is almost certainly not spreading faster because of the variant but because there were super spreader events like recently 1000 people tested positive after going to a night club [1]. Indoor weddings, funerals, and other big events have contributed too. While people wear masks (badly) outdoors and in shops, I think the root cause is bars, clubs, shebeens, etc. The government is also reluctant to introduce a new lockdown for fear of the damage to the economy.

I’ve just come from the UK, and while rules were less strict for a while, and people weren’t wearing masks as much, I’m less certain if people were social distancing. We certainly were in preparation for travel, but I imagine schools, college holidays, etc contributed just as much as any variant.

[1] https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2020-12-08-130...