In the two months before the opening ceremony, there has been growing resistance to the Olympic Games in Japan.
However, the organizers of the event insist that the Olympic Games will take place, guaranteeing the safety of athletes and Japanese society with extensive precautions.
Asahi Shimbun’s comment called on Japanese Prime Minister Josihid Sugu to “calmly and objectively assess the situation and decide to cancel the Summer Olympics.”
The newspaper states that it has “no acceptable risk” associated with the event, although the organizers promise to guarantee security.
The newspaper’s comment also accused the leadership of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of being self-righteous and “manifestly contrary” to the views of Japanese society.
IOC Vice President John Couts last week expressed full confidence that the Games would take place, despite the declaration of a state of emergency in much of Japan due to the proliferation of Covid-19.
In recent weeks, Masajosi Sons, head of Japan’s technology company SoftBank Group, and Hirosi Mikitani, head of online trading company Rakuten, have also called the games a “suicidal mission.”
Seiko Hashimoto, chairman of the Tokyo Olympic Games Organizing Committee, acknowledged that there was considerable resistance to the Games in Japan, but stressed that the number of foreign athletes was limited and restrictions would be severe in Japan, so the Games would not place an additional burden on the healthcare system.
In Japan, the prevalence of the Covid-19 virus has been low compared to the rest of the world, killing almost 12,500 people, but the restrictions have been lower than elsewhere in the world.
Even today, emergency regulation mainly restricts the sale of alcohol in bars and restaurants, as well as provides for shorter working hours in public catering establishments.
At the same time, the Japanese government is criticized for the relatively slow vaccination process, as only health care workers and seniors are currently vaccinated in Japan, and it is not known when more extensive vaccinations could be launched.
Pfizer and BioNTech have donated their vaccine doses to Japan, which will be delivered to about 600 Japanese Olympic athletes and 1,000 coaches and other team members as of June 1.
IOC President Thomas Bach confirmed last week that most athletes and team staff in the Tokyo Olympic Village will be vaccinated against Covid-19.
The US State Department’s restrictions on travel to and from Japan were also a cause for concern this week, but White House spokeswoman Jena Psaki said the US continued to support the game and the US delegation would take part.
Canceling the Olympics would cost Japan about 1.8 trillion yen (15 billion euros), according to estimates by the Nomur Research Institute. However, the institute has warned that the games could cause even more damage if they caused a virus outbreak and new restrictions.
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