Late last week, one of the most powerful politicians in Japan said what a lot of people have been thinking—the Tokyo Summer Olympics could be canceled. The official later tried to soften his comments—but questions are lingering.
Toshihiro Nikai told a television interviewer, “What is the point of the Olympics if it’s responsible for spreading infections?”
The comment got a lot of attention in Japan because he’s the number two official in the country’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party—and the government remains insistent that the Tokyo Olympics will get underway as scheduled in fewer than 100 days.
Nikai later said he was speaking hypothetically, adding, “Our party has not changed its support for holding a safe and worry-free games.”
“Worry-free” may be a stretch, and to say that the public is skeptical would be an understatement.
COVID-19 restrictions are increasing in Japan’s three-largest cities starting tomorrow, while less than 1% of the country’s population has been vaccinated.
A recent poll by Kyodo News found 72% of those surveyed favored postponing the Olympics or cancelling the event entirely.
Last week the British Medical Journal published an article saying in part, “Holding Tokyo 2020 for domestic political and economic purposes—ignoring scientific and moral imperatives—is contradictory to Japan’s commitment to global health and human security.”
Three of the four authors are Japanese doctors.
