With the Olympics Games just 99 days away, a senior Japanese ruling party official has admitted that cancelling this year’s Olympic Games remains an option.
Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, said Japan might have to ‘give up’ on the Tokyo Olympics if rising coronavirus cases in the country made the event “impossible”, Kyodo news agency reported.
The event, originally scheduled for last year, was postponed due to the pandemic. According to experts, Japan is in the grip of a fourth wave.
Nikai, the No. 2 leader of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s ruling party, made the remark while recording a TV program yet to be aired. He is known for his frank comments. Many other ruling party politicians have avoided discussing the hot issue of a possible cancellation.
“If it turns out that holding the Olympics is practically impossible, we will have nothing but to give up the idea,” Nikai said, as quoted by the Kyodo news agency.
Japan is grappling with rising coronavirus infections, with numbers trending higher in Tokyo after the government ended a state of emergency, and Osaka posting a record 1,130 new cases on Wednesday.
Experts say the country is in a fourth wave of COVID-19, with official figures showing more than 36,000 active cases, and variant strains putting huge amounts of pressure on the medical system.
Around 1.1 million people in the country of 126 million have received a first dose of vaccine so far, with the rollout only expanding to the elderly this week.
Despite the problems, Olympic organisers insist the Games can be held safely and have released virus rulebooks to allay public fears.
Athletes will not be required to quarantine or be vaccinated, but will have to limit movements and be tested regularly. Overseas fans are barred from attending, with a decision on domestic spectators limits expected later this month.
