Tokyo Olympics: petition to cancel Games signed by more than 350,000 people, citing coronavirus concerns

A petition to cancel the Tokyo Olympics with more than 351,000 signatures was on Friday submitted to the city’s governor on Friday, with its organiser urging officials to “prioritise life” in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The online petition titled “Cancel the Tokyo Olympics to protect our lives” was launched earlier this month by Kenji Utsunomiya, a lawyer and former candidate for Tokyo governor. It has gathered signatures faster than any previous petition on Change.org’s platform in Japan, which Utsunomiya said “reflects public opinion” on the issue. Polls consistently show a majority of Japanese oppose holding the Games this year, favouring either a further delay or cancellation. “I think the Olympics this time is about whether we prioritise life or a ceremony and event called the Olympics,” Utsunomiya told reporters. Pressure builds on Japanese athletes to shun Tokyo Olympic Games He called on Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike to ask the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to cancel the Games. “The IOC holds the right to make a decision on whether to cancel, but Tokyo, as the host city, should urge the IOC to cancel,” he said. The petition is also being sent to the IOC and International Paralympic Committee as well as local organisers and the national government. It was submitted as Japan battles a fourth wave of virus infections, with Tokyo and five other prefectures under a state of emergency. The measure was expanded to another three regions: Hokkaido, Okayama and Hiroshima. “Today, we decided to add Hokkaido, Okayama and Hiroshima to the area under the state of emergency from May 16 to 31,” Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced at a virus task force meeting. In these three regions, “the population is relatively big and the number of new cases is very rapidly increasing”, he said. With the latest measures, 19 out of Japan’s 47 prefectures covering about 70 per cent of its population will be subject to restrictions that include closures of eateries by 8pm and a ban on alcohol at bars and restaurants. Experts say medical resources are being pushed to the brink, while Japan’s vaccination drive has been the slowest among advanced nations with just 3 per cent of the population vaccinated. Utsunomiya warned that “holding the Olympics under these circumstance means precious medical resources have to be set aside for the Games”. On Thursday, a doctors’ union warned it was “impossible” to hold the Games safely during the pandemic, but organisers say virus countermeasures will keep the athletes and Japanese public safe. Utsunomiya said the petition would continue to gather signatures “until the cancellation is announced,” and brushed aside concerns about the cost of scrapping the massive event. “People’s lives are more important than money,” he said. International Paralympic Committee chief Andrew Parsons acknowledged Japanese “anger” over the Games. But he said strict rules, including daily testing and limited movement for athletes, meant the chance they could infect anyone was “really remote”. “We want to provide this feeling of certainty,” Parsons said. “Because we see that the anger comes from this concept that it’s the Japanese population’s safety versus the Games. I believe they can coexist.” However, business leaders have added their voices to the chorus of concern about whether the Games can be held safely. SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son said on Thursday he was “afraid” of having the Games, fearing for both Japan and countries sending athletes to Tokyo. Other executives took aim at Japan’s slow vaccine roll-out and its potential to undermine any economic recovery. “Among developed nations, Japan is the biggest problem,” said Mitsubishi CEO Takehiko Kakiuchi. Christophe Weber, CEO of Takeda, Japan’s largest drug maker, said the roll-out was lagging months behind many countries in Europe. China pledges support for Tokyo Olympics as Japan extends virus emergency “I really hope that we will see a vaccination acceleration, it’s very important; otherwise you are exposed to new spike in variants,” he said. Beauty giant Shiseido was before the pandemic buoyed by an influx of tourists – many from China – shopping for cosmetics in Japan. “If vaccinations don’t speed up, then tourists won’t return and that impacts how our company recovers,” said Takayuki Yokota, Shiseido’s chief financial officer. “I was on a call with five members of our US team the other day, and all had finished their second shots.” Additional reporting by Reuters, Bloomberg