[국제]Japan’s report on’Olympic cancellation’ jumped, but…

[앵커]

The Japanese government has vehemently denied a foreign report that it had an internal conclusion to cancel the Tokyo Olympics this summer.

However, it was revealed that at some point it would be decided whether to hold the event or not, and it was retreating from the previous position that there was never any cancellation.

Tokyo correspondent Lee Gyeong-ah reports.

[기자]

The British daily newspaper The Times quoted a high-ranking Liberal Democratic Party official as reporting that “the Japanese government has made an internal conclusion that the Olympics are canceled.”

After this report, officials from the Japanese government related to the Olympics were plagued with questions throughout the day.

Olympic Minister Hashimoto was arrested for not knowing the report itself.

[하시모토 세이코 / 올림픽 담당 장관 : 그런 보도가 있었는지는 알지 못합니다.]

Governor Koike of Tokyo, the host city, stressed that there has been no talk of cancellation at meetings with the IOC, the government, and the Olympic Organizing Committee.

[코이케 유리코 / 도쿄도지사 : 이것이 어떤 식으로 보도했는지, 어떤 방식으로 정보를 입수했는지 알 수 없기 때문에 오히려 항의할 일이라고 생각합니다.]

The Japanese government, in an unusually strong tone, denied the news, but admitted that it would at some point decide whether to hold it.

Considering Prime Minister Suga’s position that he will surely hold the Tokyo Olympics as a symbol of humanity’s victory over the virus, this is a remarkable remark.

[사카이 마나부 / 일본 관방부장관 : 당연히 해외 상황 등도 있으므로 어느 단계에서는 실제로 개최할 지 여부에 대한 판단을 하는 일이 있겠습니다만 그 전까지는 당연히 일본 정부가 해야할 일을 할 것이며…]

In Japan, the number of domestically infected people is not decreasing as expected, so there is a high possibility that the emergency situation will be extended until the 7th of next month, and 80% of public opinion is negative about the event.

The overseas situation is also not improving significantly.

In Japan and abroad, voices have started to postpone the Olympics to 2024 or 2032 instead of completely canceling.

The direction of the Olympics, lost in the corona, is expected to be concluded in some form until the torch departs on March 25th.

This is Kyungah Lee from YTN in Tokyo.

[저작권자(c) YTN & YTN plus 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]