Japanese mostly opposed to Tokyo Olympics this summer: poll

TOKYO: A majority of Japanese remain opposed to holding the Olympics this summer amid the coronavirus pandemic but the ratio lowered significantly from recent polls, a Yomiuri newspaper poll showed on Monday.

Some 28per cent of respondents said they want the Olympics to be cancelled and the same ratio of people think they should be held without spectators, the poll showed.

The Yomiuri poll showed a combined 61per cent wanting the Games to be postponed or cancelled altogether, around 20per cent points lower than recent opinion polls.

Just 36per cent of the public are in favour of holding the Tokyo Olympics this summer, of which 28per cent are calling for no spectators while the remaining 8per cent back allowing spectators.

The Tokyo Olympic Games were postponed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and rescheduled to take place this year starting on July 23.

Some 56per cent expected the coronavirus pandemic to remain unchanged in the summer, while 37per cent anticipated improvement and 3per cent saw it getting worse. Some 70per cent believed the vaccination would help resolve the situation, outweighing those who saw no containment. (This story refiles to correct garbled headline)

(Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)