Governor of Shimane Prefecture in Japan expresses opposition to the Tokyo Olympics

[이미지출처=AP연합뉴스]

[아시아경제 권재희 기자] Tatsuya Maruyama, the governor of Shimane Prefecture, Japan, has expressed his opposition to hosting the Tokyo Olympics.

According to NHK on the 17th, Governor Maruyama said at the meeting of the Temporary Executive Committee for Torch Relay held at the prefectural office at noon that day, “It is difficult to cooperate with the hosting of the Tokyo Olympics and the subsequent torch relay in Shimane Prefecture in May this year.”

He referred to the Corona 19 situation in Tokyo and said, “You should not send a torch,” and said, “If the current situation does not improve, I think that the Tokyo Olympics should not be held.”

Governor Maruyama insisted on the reason for opposition to the Tokyo Olympics, “it could lead to the spread of infection across the country, and this is not unrelated to Shimane Prefecture.”

At a press conference on the 10th, he criticized the government and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and expressed his opposition to hosting the Tokyo Olympics.

The torch relay for the Tokyo Olympics is scheduled to begin in Fukushima Prefecture on the 25th of next month. Torch relay runners will travel all over Japan, including Shimane Prefecture.

Meanwhile, Governor Maruyama was the person who delivered a request to the government in July last year asking the government to file a complaint with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) so that Japan can establish sovereignty over Dokdo.

In Shimane Prefecture, on February 22 every year, the “Takeshima Day (the name of Dokdo that Japan claims)” is held every year on February 22nd.

Reporter Kwon Jae-hee [email protected]