Objectives 　
The purpose of this research project is to investigate how selective high-income nations developed their pandemic control policies, and how these policies impacted these nations’ lives and livelihoods. The underlying research question that guides this research is, “When facing an emergent and uncertain pandemic, what are pandemic control policies that can best balance saving lives and livelihood that apply to most nations?” 　
Methods 　
　All public policy studies are normative. An essential first step of a normative study is to state its ethical and other normative assumptions explicitly. Human dignity and self-determination are two fundamental ethical principles that guide us in choosing indicators for case studies and comparison. Further, we also include contextualized indicators or narratives that may not be common across these six nations. Based on our ethical assumption, we identified variables in the two major outcome facets, the economy, and social well-being, subject to the availability of data.
　
Results 　
　Without implying causal relationships, we summarized major pandemic control policies and key economic indicators across these six nations by years, from 2020 to 2022. By the end of 2020, Taiwan was the only nation in this group that still enjoy an economic growth of 3.39% while all other nations in this group suffered contractions with negative economic growth. All six nations economy bounced back by the end of 2021. Japan has a remarkable record of maintaining the lowest unemployment rate throughout the three years. For other social impacts, due to limitations of data availability, it is perhaps more helpful to read them in each case study rather than summarizing them here. 　
Conclusion 　
　A major limitation of this study is the extreme difficulties of disentangling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic from that of control policies. Consequently, we chose the case study as the method of this study. Further, we will not attempt to draw causal inferences from our study. Rather, we will present the policies implemented, their length of time and intensity, and the selective indicators of social well-being and the economy. 　This special issue is a story of how six high-income nations, facing the same unknown new infectious disease, operating on very little information initially, choose both similar and various paths to navigate through this catastrophe. These stories were told from one or a few researchers’ perspectives. There is never a single story that can adequately represent each country’s experience. There are always more stories to be told.

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Objective: The goal of this paper is to offer a comprehensive and detailed summary of Chile`s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses.
　Methods: We followed a conceptual framework of an international comparative research project conducted across six high-income countries.
　Results: Chile's rapid vaccination rollout and accessible testing, combined with integrating public and private healthcare systems, marked notable successes in responding to the pandemic. The increased adoption of telemedicine and effective mass communication strategies were positive developments, alongside economic measures to support vulnerable families. On the negative side, the COVID-19 pandemic intensified existing inequities in education and social services, leading to significant disparities affecting the most vulnerable population. During the pandemic as in many other countries, health authorities prioritized resources to decrease the impact of the virus, neglecting mental health support and contributing to longer waiting lists for non-COVID-related medical issues.
　Conclusion: Overall, Chile demonstrated effective pandemic responses; the ongoing challenges highlight the need for continued learning and adaptation in public health and economic policy.

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The COVID-19 pandemic brought colossal disruption to everyday lives and massive destruction of health and wellbeing worldwide, including millions of deaths. This study presents an overview of how the pandemic developed in Japan. Specifically, it discusses the number of cases of and deaths from COVID-19, the government’s countermeasures, the transformation of the health care delivery system, the broader health impacts of the pandemic, and the economic impacts on society. During a period of approximately three years following the first confirmed case of COVID-19 (reported on January 15, 2020), there were eight waves of COVID-19 and about 34 million confirmed cases. Eventually, the Japanese government downgraded the legal status of COVID-19 on May 7, 2023. The government’s measures to combat the pandemic included the so-called “soft lockdown,” active surveillance, providing evidence-based messaging for the public, and delivering various economic stimulus packages for individuals and businesses. Overall, government measures together with the public's concerted efforts were effective; the death toll relative to the population was quite low compared to that in other developed countries. Nonetheless, there were frictions between the government, businesses, and individuals. During the soft lockdown, national and local governments imposed various constraints on businesses and residents to limit the spread of infection; many bars, restaurants, karaoke bars, and tourism and event businesses suffered damages, which were relatively severe for small businesses. There were also frequent tensions between infection control and people’s livelihoods among medical professionals, scholars, economists, and politicians over the course of the pandemic, which potentially delayed decisions about starting or ending specific COVID-19 countermeasures. Another concern is that the government’s massive spending to alleviate the economic impact of the pandemic has increased the government debt in Japan. This study identifies that a comprehensive evaluation of how the Japanese government's COVID-19 policy balanced saving lives and livelihoods is necessary but has yet to be conducted.

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Objective
　We review Singapore’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its multidimensional impacts. We also discuss lessons learned from Singapore’s COVID-19 response that can be applicable to future pandemics. Methods
　We investigated Singapore’s actions during the COVID-19 pandemic, including nationwide lockdown measures, public communication strategies, implementation of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), COVID-19 vaccine procurement, and economic aid programs.
Results
　During the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, Singapore implemented an effective public health crisis management strategy such as nationwide lockdown, clear communications to the public, the use of effective nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), early procurement of COVID-19 vaccines, and targeted economic aids as part of an effective public health crisis management strategy. As a result, Singapore achieved one of the lowest case fatality rates (2.2 million COVID-19 cases and 1,711 deaths) and demonstrated economic resilience.
Conclusion
　Singapore's response to the COVID-19 pandemic showcases effective public health crisis management. The country's success in minimizing fatalities while maintaining economic stability offers valuable lessons for global pandemic preparedness. The early actions and comprehensive approach provide important insights that can be applied to enhance responses to future pandemics, potentially improving health outcomes and economic resilience worldwide.

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Object
　We examine South Korea’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its-dimensional impacts, focusing on the country’s "3T strategy" and its effectiveness in managing both public health and economic aspects of the crisis.
Methods
　We analyze South Korea’s implementation of the "3T strategy" (Testing, Tracing, and Treatment) with isolation measures, exploring collaborations between public and private sectors and the use of innovative technology in establishing a nationwide testing system.
Results
　South Korea successfully managed the COVID-19 crisis without resorting to large-scale lockdowns, gaining global recognition for its approach. The country demonstrated adaptability and resilience in managing both public health and economic aspects while being at the frontline of the COVID-19 crisis. As a results, the country reported 29 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and 30,000 deaths by the end of 2022.
Conclusion
　South Korea’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic showcases effective crisis management through the "3T strategy," innovative use of technology, and public-private collaborations. The paper highlights essential considerations regarding the transferability of lessons learned from South Korea's COVID-19 response to other contexts, emphasizing the importance of adaptable and context-specific approaches in global health crises.

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Objectives
　This study analyzes the Taiwanese government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and assesses its performance across health, economic, and social metrics.
Methods
　This normative research gathered information through a review of media articles, institutional reports, and academic papers. Quantitative data were obtained from publicly accessible domestic and international sources.
Results
　In the pandemic’s early stages, the Taiwan government made significant efforts to address the crisis, aiming to balance saving lives with protecting livelihoods. By the end of 2020, Taiwan had achieved the lowest cumulative number of cases and deaths globally. However, the adoption of a “living with COVID” strategy in 2022 led to a sharp decline in these health metrics. Economically, Taiwan displayed remarkable resilience, maintaining robust growth throughout the pandemic. Nonetheless, the rise in income inequality highlights the disproportionate impact on economically disadvantaged groups, warranting further investigation. Socially, two critical issues emerged: an increase in domestic violence and a decline in birth rates. While birth rates had already been declining before the pandemic, the accelerated drop during this period is particularly concerning. Additionally, the surge in tertiary education enrollment suggests a delayed entry into the labor market for younger generations, with longterm implications for labor market outcomes yet to be fully understood.
Conclusion
　Taiwan’s experience highlights the successes and challenges of balancing public health with economic stability during the pandemic. The findings from this analysis provide valuable insights for both short-term and long-term strategies in managing future pandemics.

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The use of technology to combat pandemics raises critical human rights concerns, such as transparency, accountability, and ethics in government administration. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has set out some general principles for containing the pandemic and collecting, using, and further processing personal data, along with its deletion if it no longer serves a purpose post-pandemic. These principles incorporate controlling the virus's spread and promoting a rapid recovery for society. When utilizing digital data for contact tracing, it is crucial to consider human rights, relevant international laws, data protection, and personal privacy. This article examines Taiwan’s efforts to combat COVID-19, focusing on protecting civil and political rights, economic, social, and cultural rights, the legitimacy of anti-pandemic policies, and ethical concerns. Additionally, this article compares the pandemic policies of major industrial countries, including Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the United States, and Germany, to highlight these issues.

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 　The global spread of COVID-19 led to the closure of educational institutions worldwide, placing significant stress on parents, particularly mothers, who assumed the dual roles of primary caregivers and educators for their children. This study aims to assess the impact of children's school closures on parental well-being, taking into account their working patterns. A longitudinal analysis was conducted using national representative data in Japan during the pandemic. This study takes advantage of the fact that the timing of school reopening varies from region to region, and examined the differences in the impact on parents with preschool-age children, elementary schoolage children, those with children of different ages, and those who did not have children. The findings indicated that, in areas where school closures continued, working mothers with preschoolers reported a statistically significant decrease in life satisfaction. Only mothers whose working hours were limited due to reduced business hours demonstrated an improvement in life satisfaction. Furthermore, parents with children of elementary school age and younger did not exhibit any improvement in life satisfaction by working remotely. This is likely due to the difficulty of simultaneously caring for children and working from home. The results indicate that when children are absent from school, parents should also be granted time off, rather than being required to work remotely.

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