[Tokyo Olympics D-1] Even Abe, Key Figure in Hosting Bid, Absent... Opening Ceremony Expected to Be Meager

Attendance Reduced from 10,000 to 950
Tokyo COVID-19 Cases Surge One Day Before Opening

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, which is just one day away, will be held with a significantly reduced scale of about 950 people, down from the originally planned 10,000, due to COVID-19. With major foreign dignitaries absent and even former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a key figure in securing the Games and an active promoter of the Olympics, announcing his non-attendance, the opening ceremony is expected to be one of the most underwhelming in history.

According to major Japanese media including the Asahi Shimbun on the 22nd, the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony scheduled for tomorrow will be a modest event. Originally, the number of attendees was planned to be around 10,000, but it will now be held with only about 950 people. According to the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics Organizing Committee, approximately 800 overseas officials including guests from various countries and Olympic Committee executives, and about 150 domestic officials including Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike will attend. Notably, the number of foreign heads of state attending the opening ceremony has been confirmed at 15, fewer than the initially reported 20, putting Prime Minister Suga’s diplomatic skills under scrutiny. Former Prime Minister Abe, who played a pivotal role in securing the Olympics, has also expressed his intention not to attend the opening ceremony.

The Tokyo Olympics Organizing Committee has stated that the opening ceremony will be held at a minimal level to prevent the spread of COVID-19. With the opening ceremony just one day away, the spread of COVID-19 continues to be uncontrollable. As of 6:30 PM on the 21st, 4,943 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed across Japan. In Tokyo, where the Olympics are being held, there were 1,832 new daily cases, marking the first time since January 16th (1,839 cases) that daily cases have exceeded 1,800. If this trend continues, it is predicted that daily cases could reach 2,598 by August 3rd, when the Olympics will be in full swing.

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare stated, "New infections are increasing not only in Tokyo and the metropolitan area but also in many regions including Kansai," adding, "The number of new daily cases over the past week until the 20th is 1.89 times higher than the previous week, with rapid spread mainly among people in their 20s."

Accordingly, the Organizing Committee plans to hold the opening ceremony without spectators and without the athletes’ parade, proceeding at a minimal level.

Prime Minister Suga’s Olympic diplomacy will begin today. Starting with meetings with the Mongolian Prime Minister and Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), on the 22nd, he is also scheduled to meet with U.S. First Lady Jill Biden in the evening. This is Mrs. Biden’s first solo overseas visit, during which she will stay in Japan for 48 hours to carry out her schedule.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Biden will have dinner with Prime Minister Suga and his wife at the Akasaka State Guest House in the evening and meet with Mrs. Mariko Suga, the Prime Minister’s wife, the following morning. She will then have a virtual meeting with the U.S. Olympic team and meet with Emperor Naruhito. In the evening, she is expected to attend the Olympic opening ceremony.