Story at a glance
- A prominent Japanese newspaper, and an official sponsor of Tokyo Olympics, has called on officials to cancel the delayed summer games.
- Asahi Shimbun, a left-leaning daily, cited ongoing public health concerns, arguing the country is “far from a situation in which everybody can be confident they will be ‘safe and secure’.”
- “We ask Prime Minister [Yoshihide] Suga to calmly and objectively assess the situation and decide on the cancellation of the event this summer.”
A prominent Japanese newspaper, and an official sponsor of Tokyo Olympics, has called on officials to cancel the delayed summer games.
Reuters reported that Asahi Shimbun, a left-leaning daily, cited ongoing public health concerns, arguing the country is “far from a situation in which everybody can be confident they will be ‘safe and secure’.”
“We ask Prime Minister [Yoshihide] Suga to calmly and objectively assess the situation and decide on the cancellation of the event this summer,” the paper, which maintained its commitment to support the games, said, according to Reuters.
Olympic organizers, including Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto, have committed to holding the games on schedule, Reuters reported. Upon hearing the paper’s request to cancel, Muto responded at a press conference that “it is only natural for all sorts of media organisations to have opinions.”
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Ruling party politician Kozo Yamamoto challenged calls to cancel the games in an interview with Reuters, saying “even baseball matches are being held currently with spectators. Why not go ahead with the Games?”
The Tokyo Medical Practitioners Association urged Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in a letter earlier in May to cancel the event as cases rise across the country. The group stated that Japan’s “medical institutions dealing with COVID-19 have their hands full and have almost no spare capacity.”
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a Level 4 Travel Health notice to Americans planning to travel to Japan — the agency’s highest travel precaution.
But Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto said that in four test events only one person tested positive for COVID-19, concluding that “current coronavirus precautions are effective,” according to Reuters.
Japan reported more than 2,900 new cases in a 24-hour period Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Overall, the country has confirmed more than 726,000 cases and 12,457 deaths.
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