Olympics canceled? Doubts about the statements of a Japanese official

A senior official in Japan’s ruling party said Thursday that canceling this year’s Olympics in Tokyo remains an option if the coronavirus crisis gets too bad, adding fuel to a Already a hot topic and has unleashed nervousness on social networks.

“If it seems impossible to keep doing it, then we have to stop, forcefully,” Toshihiro Nikai, general secretary of the Liberal Democratic Party, told TBS broadcaster.

Cancellation is “of course” an option, he said, adding: “If the Olympics spread the infection, what are the Olympics good for?”

With the country immersed in a fourth wave of coronavirus infections, doubts have resurfaced in recent weeks about Tokyo’s ability to host the Summer Games, an idea already quite unpopular with the public.

“I want the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics to be successful,” the statement said. “At the same time, to the question of whether we would host the (Games) whatever happens, it is not the case. That is what I wanted to say with my comments.”

The Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) and the Tokyo government declined to comment, while the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Akira Koike, an opposition lawmaker for the Japanese Communist Party, reacted to Nikai’s comments on Twitter saying that holding the event was now “impossible” and that a swift decision should be made on the cancellation.

Canceling or postponing the Games probably wouldn’t hurt the Japanese economy significantly, but it would have a greater impact on Tokyo’s services sector, a senior International Monetary Fund official said on Wednesday.