Biden reaffirms support for Olympics during meeting with Japan’s prime minister

President Biden on Saturday reaffirmed his support for the Olympics, set to begin next month in Tokyo, calling for the Games to move forward with necessary public health measures in place as Japan continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic.

“President Biden affirmed his support for the Tokyo Olympic Games moving forward with all public health measures necessary to protect athletes, staff and spectators,” according to a White House readout of Biden’s conversation with Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide Suga.

“President Biden expressed pride in the U.S. athletes who have trained for the Tokyo Games and will be competing in the best traditions of the Olympic spirit,” the readout added.

Biden and Suga spoke in England, where the two leaders were stationed for a Group of Seven (G-7) summit.

The Games are scheduled to start on July 23, after they were postponed last year due to the pandemic.

The event, however, is facing resistance from a number of Japanese companies and medical workers, after the country saw a spike in COVID-19 infections in recent weeks.

A group of doctors last month penned a letter to Suga warning that hospitals in Tokyo were overwhelmed as the number of cases in the country grew.

Also last month, Suga extended the nation’s state of emergency through June 20 in response to the country’s high case level and hospital capacity.