Pressure Builds on Tokyo 2020

(ATR) The first major Japanese newspaper calls for the cancellation of the Tokyo Olympics.

In an editorial on Wednesday, Asahi Shimbun said "We are far from a situation in which everybody can be confident they will be 'safe and secure'" should Japan host the Games.

Tokyo 2020 organizers have been using "safe and secure" as a catchphrase to describe its efforts to hold the event during the pandemic.

Asahi Shimbun, which is an official Tokyo 2020 partner, called on Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide "to calmly and objectively assess the situation and decide on the cancellation of the event this summer".

The editorial noted "Distrust and backlash against the reckless national government, Tokyo government and stakeholders in the Olympics are nothing but escalating."

Recent polls have shown a growing majority of the Japanese public does not want the Games to begin as scheduled on July 23. One released last week showed 83 percent want the Games either postponed or cancelled. Another poll from last week did not give the option for postponement. In that case, almost 60 percent were in favor of cancellation.

Reuters reported that later in the day, Asahi Shimbun issued a statement saying it would continue to work as an official partner of Tokyo 2020 and that its editorial division was an independent part of the paper.

The paper, the second-largest in Japan, is considered left-leaning and has been critical of Suga’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which despite its name is usually associated with a conservative ideology.

Tokyo 2020 CEO Muto Toshiro had little to say about the editorial during a news briefing following Wednesday’s Tokyo 2020 executive board meeting. He told reporters cancellation or postponement of the Games was not discussed at the meeting.

The idea of postponement has not been an option for the IOC for months. Dick Pound, the senior IOC member, tells Around the Rings"You’ve got people still talking about postponing them further. Which means they haven’t got the fact that they can’t be postponed again. It’s got to happen this summer or not at all."

Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko was among many prefectural leaders who on Wednesday called for an extension of a state of emergency, which is due to be lifted on May 31. Tokyo and nine prefectures are under the current guidelines. Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo have been under the state of emergency since April 25.

Kyodo News reports the state of emergency is likely to be extended to June 20, with Suga expected to make it official on Friday.

The Japanese Olympic Committee on Wednesday announced that vaccinations are set to begin for the country’s Olympic delegation on June 1. Just over five percent of Japan’s population has received at least one vaccination at this point.

Despite the situation in Japan, the IOC has remained steadfast that the Games will begin on schedule.

IOC Tokyo 2020 Coordination Commission chair John Coates said late last week that the Games can still be delivered even under a continued state of emergency.

While some may believe the IOC's unwavering push to hold Tokyo 2020 is rooted in making as much money as it can from the Games, Pound disagrees.

"It’s not an economic issue anymore," the IOC doyen tells ATR. "It’s can we do this safely or not? And if we can do it safely, the world needs some good news after 20 months of this.

"And to put on an Olympic Games that will bring everyone together and provide a level of competition that everyone hopes will be broadcast or digitally available to four billion plus people. That’s the real accomplishment that everybody should be focusing on."

Written by Gerard Farek

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