TOKYO -- Shared tragedy is often seen as a great equalizer. But the coronavirus pandemic has only emphasized the yawning gap between the fortunate and the left-behind.
Technology adoption has barreled into the future at warp speed, assuring a comfortable lockdown for the upper tiers of society -- but an increasingly pressured underclass is carrying the burden of our relentlessly online existence. And as office life has given in to flexibility (a gift for those bound by Asia's rigid work cultures), others have been left at the mercy of poor internet connections and piling household responsibilities -- not to mention the stifling claustrophobia, and even the dangers, of isolation at home.