Japan PM says he ‘never put Olympics first’ as polls show 60% want Games cancelled

Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said that he has never “put the Olympics first”, as an opinion poll showed nearly 60 per cent of people in Japan want the Olympics cancelled less than three months before they begin.

Japan has extended a state of emergency in Tokyo until the end of May and is struggling to contain a surge in COVID-19 cases, raising further questions about whether the Games should go on. Its vaccination rate is the lowest among wealthy nations.

Demonstrators march around the New National Stadium, the main stadium for the Tokyo Olympics, during a protest against the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday, May 09.Credit: Getty Images

International Olympic officials, Tokyo planners and Suga himself have insisted the Games will go on in “a safe and secure” way. Foreign spectators have been barred and planners issued an elaborate playbook of rules last month aimed at preventing coronavirus infections.

But a public opinion survey, conducted from May 7-9 by the Yomiuri Shimbun daily, showed 59 per cent wanted the Games cancelled as opposed to 39 per cent who said they should be held. “Postponement” was not offered as an option.

Another poll conducted at the weekend by TBS News found 65 per cent wanted the Games cancelled or postponed again, with 37 per cent voting to scrap the event altogether and 28 per cent calling for another delay.

A similar poll in April conducted by Kyodo news agency found 70 per cent wanted the Olympics cancelled or postponed. More than 300,000 people have signed a petition to cancel the Games in roughly five days since it was launched.

A protester speaks during a protest against the Tokyo Olympics, where concerns lingers over the feasibility of hosting the event amid a pandemic. Credit: Getty Images

Asked in a parliamentary committee meeting whether the Games will continue even if COVID-19 infections spike, Suga replied: “I’ve never put Olympics first”.

“My priority has been to protect the lives and health of the Japanese population. We must first prevent the spread of the virus,” he added.

He repeated that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has the final say on the fate of the Games and that the government’s role is to take steps so they can be held safely.

The TBS survey found that Suga’s public approval rate was at 40 percent, close to record lows marked earlier this year.

Top Olympic official John Coates said on Saturday that while Japanese sentiment about the Games “was a concern” he could foresee no scenario under which the sporting extravaganza would not go ahead.

But on Sunday, Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka said that even though she has waited her whole life to take part in the Olympics, the risks of holding the Tokyo Games should be carefully discussed.

The Games are set to open on July 23 and run until August 8.

Reuters