Survey | Japan

Olympic Games, now? 80 % of people in Japan disagree

The healthcare system in Japan is under strain due to the pandemic. More and more voices are calling for the 2020 Summer Olympics to be postponed again – or even canceled altogether
By Chingli Tor 07/01/2021

There is currently an appeal stuck to the windows of a Tokyo hospital that sums it up: “The medical system is on the brink of collapse! For God’s sake, cancel the Olympics!” A survey by the news agency Kyodo News reveals a similar mood: 35 percent of Japanese people want this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo to be cancelled. 45 percent demand that they be postponed again. 

Following conflicting messages from the government — it recently encouraged people to travel regionally, but on the other hand, urged them to stay at home — the frustration of the population is tangible. That is why fierce adherence to this major sporting event, which is supposed to celebrate “fair play”, now seems cruelly ironic, and has long since become a burden for everyone.

Many people have the impression that their health has been swept under the red carpet being rolled out for the Olympic Games. The recent revelations about government representatives and officials who, despite being banned, have been socialising late into the night in bars and organising dinner parties, have added even more fuel to this very special Olympic fire.

*Source: Kyodo News, 2021

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