Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is gambling that Japan can get through the Games without it becoming a global superspreader event, so he can then call a snap election.
After a one-year postponement, the Tokyo Olympic Games are set to begin on July 23. The Japanese government and the International Olympic Committee have emphasised they will hold a “safe and secure” Games.
But the Japanese medical community and public question the wisdom of this decision, as Japan and much of the world still battle the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Ben Ascione is Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, Waseda University. He is also the Japan editor at East Asia Forum and a research associate at the Japan Centre for International Exchange.
