About 3 Months Until Olympic Opening
Difficult to Cancel After May
Suga Judges "State of Emergency Will Not Affect Olympic Hosting"
A man is riding a bicycle in front of the Olympic Rings sculpture installed at Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo, Japan, on the 12th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] The number of daily COVID-19 cases in Japan has risen again to the 4,000 range. Attention is focused on whether a state of emergency will be declared again ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.
According to the local public broadcaster NHK's tally on the 20th, as of 6:30 PM, 4,335 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed across Japan. By region, Osaka Prefecture had the highest number of new cases at 1,153, followed by Tokyo Metropolis with 711 cases.
The daily number of COVID-19 cases in Japan has remained in the 4,000 range for 14 to 18 consecutive days. Although it dropped to 2,907 the previous day, the trend is rising again. The cumulative number of confirmed cases is 542,960, and the death toll increased by 39 on this day to reach 9,731.
Meanwhile, the Japanese government appears cautious about declaring a state of emergency with only about three months left until the opening of the Tokyo Olympics. However, there are concerns that COVID-19 spread must be controlled now to watch the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics on July 23. The prevailing view is that the 'deadline' for possibly abandoning the Tokyo Olympics is mid to late May. After that, it will become difficult to cancel the event as preparations for athlete selection and the arrival of tournament officials will be completed.
It is predicted that the COVID-19 situation in Tokyo around mid-May, after Japan’s major holidays, will be a variable that determines the fate of the Olympics. Meanwhile, local media reported that Prime Minister Suga expressed the view that even if a state of emergency is declared, it will not affect the hosting of the Olympics.
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