Amid opposition, Japan PM says he has 'never put Olympics first'

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Monday (May 10) that he has never "put the Olympics first", on the same day an opinion poll showed that 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.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) officials, Tokyo planners and Suga himself have insisted that 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 to May 9 by the Yomiuri Shimbun daily, showed that 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 that 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. More than 300,000 people have signed a petition to cancel the Games in roughly five days since it was launched.

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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 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 per cent, 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 Jul 23 and run until Aug 8.