Tokyo 2020: majority of Japanese public want Olympics cancelled or postponed
- Some 32 per cent want next summer’s Games cancelled, with 31 per cent advocating further postponement as Japan battles Covid-19 surge
- Support for Olympics taking place has dropped since broadcaster NHK did their last poll in October
More than 30 per cent of Japanese residents want next year’s postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympic Games to be cancelled, according to a poll by broadcaster NHK.
The news comes as Japan struggles once more with the coronavirus pandemic.
Faced with a record number of cases, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga suspended a discounted domestic travel campaign on Monday, with rival lawmakers blaming the “Go To” programme for the rise in cases across the country since it was launched in October.
Officials this month announced a new set of guidelines for the country’s 510 host towns, with NHK reporting concerns at rising costs.
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Elsewhere, Games organisers on Wednesday announced the planned scaling back of public viewing for events in Tokyo.
Some 1,200 Japanese were polled by NHK over the weekend by telephone and asked whether they think the Games should go ahead next year. The results of the survey were released on Tuesday.
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“Twenty-seven per cent said the Games should be staged, 32 per cent said they should be cancelled, and 31 per cent said they should be postponed further,” NHK said.
NHK had conducted a similar poll in October, with 40 per cent of respondents saying that Tokyo 2020 should go ahead next year. Only 23 per cent said they should be cancelled, while 25 per cent opted for postponing them further.
“I will continue to spare no effort to bring about the Games that are safe and secure,” Suga said this month but the public appear unconvinced. The Games are set to start on July 23, 2021.
