[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Two out of three Japanese voters do not trust Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's statement that he will contain the spread of COVID-19 and hold a safe Olympics.
According to a recent telephone survey conducted by Mainichi Shimbun and the Social Research Center targeting Japanese voters, 64% of respondents answered that they do not think the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics can be held in a "safe and secure" manner. Only 20% said it was possible.
Prime Minister Suga stated that thorough COVID-19 infection prevention measures would be implemented to hold a "safe and secure" event, but the majority of voters remain distrustful.
In particular, opposition to allowing spectators into the venues was high. 31% of respondents said the event should be held without spectators, and 30% said the event should be canceled. 12% responded in favor of postponing the event. Meanwhile, only 22% said the Japanese government's plan under consideration was reasonable.
Meanwhile, the approval rating of the Suga Cabinet rose by 3 percentage points compared to the survey on the 22nd of last month but still remained at 34%. The percentage of respondents who do not support the Suga Cabinet decreased by 4 percentage points to 55%.
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