Japan's Suga says no possibility of mid-Olympics cancellation despite surge in COVID-19 cases

Daily New COVID-19 Cases Exceed 7,000 for the First Time in 6 Months

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] In Japan, where the Tokyo Olympics have begun, the daily new COVID-19 cases have once again exceeded 7,000, showing a rapid surge. However, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga denied the possibility of canceling the Olympics, which are scheduled to run until August 8.

According to NHK's tally on the 27th, the number of newly confirmed COVID-19 infections across Japan on the fifth day since the Olympics opening reached 7,629. This is close to the highest number of cases recorded in Japan since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 pandemic in March last year, which was 7,882 on January 8 of this year. Also, it is the first time in over six months since January 15 that Japan's daily cases have exceeded 7,000. As of this day, the cumulative confirmed cases reached 883,766, and deaths increased by 12 in one day to total 15,165.

The Japanese government reissued the fourth state of emergency for six weeks in Tokyo starting from the 12th, ahead of the Tokyo Olympics opening, but the trend of increasing new cases has become entrenched. It is analyzed that fatigue from repeated emergency declarations has led to non-compliance with preventive measures such as requests to refrain from going out and restrictions on alcohol sales at restaurants. Additionally, the highly contagious Delta variant and other mutated viruses have become the main sources of transmission, contributing to the rise in new cases.

In Tokyo, the host city of the Olympics, a record high of 2,848 new cases was reported on this day. This is double the number from the same day a week ago (1,461) and surpassed the previous record of 2,520 cases on January 7 this year. Among Olympic-related personnel, including athletes, new infections are also increasing. Since the 1st of this month, the total confirmed infections among Olympic personnel have risen to 155, including 7 newly added cases on this day.

Some voices point out that the relaxed social atmosphere due to the Olympics is lowering vigilance against COVID-19. Because of this, if new cases continue to surge explosively, there is a possibility that voices from anti-Olympics groups calling for the mid-term cancellation of the Olympics, scheduled to close on August 8, will grow stronger.

However, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, in response to questions from reporters at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo regarding the record high number of cases, stated, "We will proceed with infection prevention measures with strong vigilance," and denied the possibility of mid-term cancellation of the Olympics, citing that various measures have reduced the floating population, according to Kyodo News.