Difficult to Prepare Response Measures Such as Medical Staff Deployment by June Decision
Tokyo and Other Emergency Declaration Areas Insist on Holding Events Without Spectators
[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Seiko Hashimoto, Chairperson of the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee, officially hinted at holding the event without spectators, sparking widespread controversy both domestically and internationally ahead of the July Games. As Tokyo and other major cities have entered a state of emergency, these local governments are strongly demanding that the Games be held without spectators.
According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei), on the 28th, a five-party meeting involving representatives from the Japanese government, Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee, International Olympic Committee (IOC), and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) was held via video conference. The final decision on the spectator capacity limit was not reached again, and it was agreed to make a final judgment in June after monitoring the COVID-19 situation, Nikkei reported.
Immediately after the video conference, Chairperson Hashimoto stated at a press conference, "We are prepared to hold the Games without spectators," adding, "If the spectator limit is not decided by early June, it will cause significant inconvenience in preparations."
Ultimately, as the Japanese government postponed the decision on spectator limits again until June, criticism is mounting that this effectively acknowledges the likelihood of holding the Games without spectators. Analysts point out that deciding the spectator limit just one month before the Olympics leaves almost no time to prepare COVID-19 countermeasures such as medical staff deployment. Previously, the Japanese government decided not to allow overseas spectators considering the domestic and international COVID-19 situation but expressed its intention to allow domestic spectators at up to 50% of venue capacity.
Major cities including Tokyo, where a state of emergency has already been declared, are strongly advocating for holding the Games without spectators. With daily COVID-19 cases in Japan surpassing 5,000 and the third state of emergency declared this year, there are concerns that failing to hold the Games without spectators could render the state of emergency ineffective.
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