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Reuters

Japan’s inability to contain the Covid-19 pandemic means that plans to hold the Olympics in Tokyo should be reconsidered, health experts wrote in a commentary.
The 2020 Games, already delayed by one year, are due to begin in fewer than 100 days, even as Japan expands quasi-emergency measures to halt a fourth wave of infections.
Japan has exhibited “poor performance” in containing virus transmission, along with limited testing capacity and a slow vaccination rollout, according to the commentary published in the British Medical Journal on Wednesday.
“Plans to hold the Olympic and Paralympic games this summer must be reconsidered as a matter of urgency,” wrote lead author Kazuki Shimizu of the London School of Economics.
Coronavirus could still force Tokyo Olympics to be cancelled, senior Japanese politician warns
“Holding Tokyo 2020 for domestic political and economic purposes - ignoring scientific and moral imperatives - is contradictory to Japan’s commitment to global health and human security.”
The commentary adds to a drum beat of doubt among medical professionals that the Olympics can be carried out safely this summer. A survey of more than 1,000 Japanese doctors last month showed that 75 per cent believed it was better to postpone the Games, according to physician referral company Ishinotomo.

Kyoto University professor Hiroshi Nishiura, an advisor to the government’s pandemic response, urged in a magazine commentary this week that authorities postpone the Olympics one year to allow for more time to vaccinate the public.
Japan began its inoculation push in February, later than most major economies. Only 0.9 per cent of the Japanese public have received their first shot so far, compared with 2.5 per cent in South Korea, and 48 per cent in the United Kingdom.
Hong Kong swimmer Yvette Kong decides not to pursue another Games – ‘at some point you need some change’
Olympic and government officials have said further postponement of the Games is out of the question.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Thursday the government would do “everything possible” to prevent further contagion ahead of the Games, after a ruling party official said cancelling the event remained an option. 


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Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Tokyo Olympics must be ‘reconsidered’ due to Japan’s failure to contain pandemic, says report

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games mascot Miraitowa poses as calls increase for the Games to be delayed or cancelled. Photo: AP

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga says the government would do everything possible to prevent further contagion ahead of the Games. Photo: AFP

Declaring a coronavirus state of emergency in Japan would impact delayed Tokyo Olympics

The Olympic rings float above the water in the Odaiba area of Tokyo. Photo: AP

Covid-19 pandemic makes Tokyo 2020 Olympics ‘unlikely’, says London 2012 chief executive

A woman wearing a protective mask passes a banner for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, now to be held this summer. Photo: AP

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games may be too big a gamble, disease expert says – ‘Is it like the attitude of a bad gambler?’

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympic Games are in doubt as Tokyo’s Covid-19 numbers continues to rise. Photo: AP

This picture taken on January 19, 2021 shows the National Stadium (background), the main venue for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as visitors look on from the Shibuya Sky observation deck in Tokyo. - When the Tokyo Olympics were postponed last year, officials promised they would open in 2021 as proof of humankind's triumph over the coronavirus. But six months before the delayed start, victory over the virus remains distant, and fears are growing rapidly that the Games of the 32nd Olympiad may not happen at all. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP) / TO GO WITH AFP STORY OLY-2020-2021-JAPAN-VIRUS-HEALTH BY ANDREW MCKIRDY

A woman wearing a protective mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walks near a banner of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in Tokyo Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. The Japanese capital confirmed more than 1200 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee President Yoshiro Mori delivers a New Year's address in Tokyo Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. Mori tried on Tuesday to reassure the public that the postponed games will open in just over six months. (Kyodo News via AP)

Tokyo Olympics must be ‘reconsidered’ due to Japan’s failure to contain pandemic, says report

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Only 0.9 per cent of the Japanese public have received their first shot so far

Only 0.9 per cent of the Japanese public have received their first shot so far