Japan’s Kono Administrative Reform Minister mentions “the possibility of cancellation of the Tokyo Olympics”

Input 2021.01.17 14:29

Japan’s Prime Minister Taro Kono, in charge of administrative reform, is the first Japanese cabinet member to mention the possibility of canceling the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games. The Prime Minister Kono is a person who directly criticizes the practices of the Prime Minister’s official residence and leads various administrative reforms and is attracting attention as the next prime minister candidate.

In an interview with Reuters on the 14th (local time), Mr. Kono told Reuters about the Tokyo Olympics, “At this point we need to do our best to prepare for the tournament, but this (Olympic) can go either way.” said. He said the Olympics may be held as scheduled, but there is a possibility of cancellation. Kyodo News Agency reported on the 16th, citing Reuters, “The Prime Minister Kono mentioned the possibility of canceling the Tokyo Olympics for the first time among Japanese ministers.”

The Tokyo Olympics were originally scheduled to be held in July last year, but it was postponed for one year due to the spread of Corona 19 around the world. Due to the recent spread of Corona 19 in Japan, an emergency has been issued in 11 metropolitan local governments, and as Corona 19 is still raging in the US and Europe, skepticism about hosting the Tokyo Olympics is growing.

According to the results of a nationwide telephone poll conducted by Kyodo News on the 9th to 10th, 35.3% of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games should “cancel (cancel)” and 44.8% of the respondents “must re-postponed.” 80.1% of the respondents insisted on reconsidering the hosting of the Tokyo Olympics in July this year.

However, the Japanese government and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) maintain their position that the Tokyo Olympics will be held in July this year as scheduled. Japanese government spokesman Kato Katsunobu, on the 17th, on Fuji TV’s report on the possibility of canceling the Tokyo Olympics, “The venue and schedule have been decided, and officials are focusing on preparations including countermeasures against infection. “He emphasized that the holding policy has not changed.

Meanwhile, according to the local public broadcaster NHK, the number of newly confirmed corona19 confirmed in Japan the previous day was 7014. Accordingly, the cumulative confirmed cases of Corona 19 in Japan increased to 32,5497. The number of confirmed cases per day recorded 7,000 for three consecutive days on the last 7-9 days, and then decreased to 4,000 due to the decrease in the number of corona 19 tests during the three consecutive holidays (9-11), and then increased to 7132 on the 15th.