PM SUGA INSISTS TO HOST TOKYO OLYMPICS AS CORONAVIRUS CASES SURGE

Sat 02 January 2021:

Japan’s prime minister is insisting that the postponed Tokyo Olympics will go ahead this summer despite the surging pandemic, public opposition to holding the Games and private misgivings among government officials.

Japan and the International Olympic Committee decided last March to postpone the games by a year as the coronavirus pandemic sent much of the world into lockdown.

In his new year message, Yoshihide Suga repeated the official line: that the holding of the summer games will not jeopardise Japan’s efforts to control the pandemic. “This summer, we will hold the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, which are a symbol of world unity,” he said. “We will make steady preparations to realise a safe and secure tournament.”

The year of #Tokyo2020 is upon us! #UnitedByEmotion 🥰@Olympics & @Paralympics 2⃣0⃣2⃣1⃣🔜🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/OEEgp63eq0

— #Tokyo2020 (@Tokyo2020) January 1, 2021

The games, involving some 11,000 athletes from around the world, are now due to take place across two weeks from July 23, with the Paralympics to follow afterwards. The event’s budget has increased by about $2.4bn as a result of the delay, organisers said in December, bringing the total to more than $15bn.

In Japan, however, public opinion also appears to be turning against the event.

A survey published by public broadcaster NHK in December found only 27 percent of people wanted the games to go ahead, compared with 40 percent in October. The proportion preferring cancellation rose to 32 percent, compared with 23 percent in October. The remainder wanted another postponement, but the IOC has ruled that out.

Suga, who took office in September following the resignation of Shinzo Abe, has been criticised for his government’s response to the wave of infections after he continued to back a now-suspended programme introduced by his predecessor to promote domestic tourism.

While there is mounting concern about the current surge in cases, Japan’s outbreak appears limited compared with elsewhere in the world. The country of nearly 126.5 million people has reported 3,341 deaths since recording its first case in January, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

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