Japan is known for longevity and part of it has had to do with diet. Obesity rate is very low but vitamin D insufficiency is common, although here again diet provides many with some vitamin D which may reduce severity of illnesses. Japan had a significant number of hospitalizations, yet deaths were relatively low. It's difficult to say how much ivermectin was used after the statement was made in August, the peak occurred a dozen days later and may to some extent been natural. However, in terms of India, when the state of Goa started handing out ivermectin, the decline began a day or so later, and it was more pronounced than the rest of India. In the end all ivermectin is alleged to do is lessen severity, and this lessens the chance that a person become infectious. Why is this so controversial? The problem with ivermectin studies is that they appear to study its use in situations that are not favorable (eg. when someone is seriously ill already) and so the conclusion that it doesn't work in a specific circumstance is used by the msm to "prove" it will never work. The other problem is that there is a virtual ban on conducting studies, soof course if there are no studies being done anymore the "science" that "supports" ivermectin will continue to be limited.