The Rainbow Bridge and Tokyo Tower are lit in Olympic colors to mark the 100th countdown to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which have been postponed until 2021 due to the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Tokyo, Japan. April 14, 2021. REUTERS / Issei Kato
Japan’s inability to contain the COVID-19 pandemic means that plans to host the Tokyo Olympics should be reconsidered, health experts wrote in a comment.
The 2020 games, already postponed by a year, are set to begin in less than 100 days, even as Japan extends quasi-emergency measures to stop a fourth wave of infections. Read more
Japan has shown “poor performance” in containing the virus, along with limited testing capacity and a slow release of the vaccine, according to a comment in the British Medical Journal on Wednesday.
“Plans for the Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer need to be reconsidered as a matter of urgency,” wrote lead author Kazuki Shimizu of the London School of Economics.
“Owning Tokyo 2020 for domestic political and economic purposes – ignoring scientific and moral imperatives – is at odds with Japan’s commitment to global health and human security.”
The comment adds to a skepticism among medical professionals that the Olympics can be held safely this summer. A survey of more than 1,000 Japanese doctors last month showed that 75% thought it was better to postpone the Games, according to the doctors’ recommendation company Ishinotomo.
Kyoto University professor Hiroshi Nishiura, a government pandemic response adviser, demanded this week in a magazine comment that authorities postpone the Olympics by a year to allow more time for public vaccination.
Japan began its inoculation boost in February, later than most major economies. Only 0.9% of the Japanese public has received the first blow so far, compared to 2.5% in South Korea and 48% in the United Kingdom.
Olympic and government officials have said the postponement of the Games is ruled out.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Thursday that the government would do “everything possible” to prevent a new contagion ahead of the Games, after a ruling party official said canceling the event remained an option. Read more
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