Japan is grappling with rising coronavirus infections; Toshihiro Nikai said: "If the Olympics were to spread infection, then what are the Olympics for?"; Games organisers say they remain focused on the delivery of "a safe and secure Games"
Thursday 15 April 2021 09:41, UK
A senior Japanese ruling party official said cancelling this year's Olympics in Tokyo remains an option if the coronavirus crisis becomes too dire, as a fourth wave of infections surges less than 100 days from the planned start of the Games.
"If it seems impossible to do it any more, then we have to stop, decisively," Toshihiro Nikai, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, said in comments to broadcaster TBS.
Cancellation is "of course" an option, Nikai said. "If the Olympics were to spread infection, then what are the Olympics for?" he added.
A key backer of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, party heavyweight Nikai is known for his frank comments, which come as many other ruling party lawmakers have avoided discussing the hot button issue of a possible cancellation.
However, Games organisers released a statement on Thursday in which they highlighted that Japan's Prime Minister has "repeatedly expressed the government's commitment" to hosting the event, and said they remain focused on the delivery of "a safe and secure Games".
"Prime Minister Suga has repeatedly expressed the government's commitment to holding the Tokyo 2020 Games," the statement read.
"All our delivery partners including the government of Japan, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, the IOC and the IPC are fully focused on hosting the Games this summer.
"Tokyo 2020 is hoping for the earliest possible recovery for all affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to work toward the delivery of a safe and secure Games this summer."
The world's biggest sporting event has already been delayed by a year and is being held without international spectators.
Japan is grappling with rising coronavirus infections, with numbers trending higher in Tokyo after the government ended a state of emergency, and Osaka suffering a record number of cases.
The government is pushing ahead with preparations incorporating social distancing measures and other restrictions for the Games set to begin on July 23, with a scaled back torch relay underway.
"We'll hold [the Games] in a way that's feasible," Taro Kono, a popular minister in charge of Japan's vaccination drive, said on a separate TV programme, according to Kyodo News. "That may be without spectators," he added.
