Despite Japan's daily COVID-19 cases hitting record highs, Suga says "No suspension of the Olympics"

▲Yoshihide Suga, Prime Minister of Japan [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] As the Tokyo Olympics are being held in Japan, the number of new COVID-19 cases is reaching record highs, and the Japanese government has expressed its determination to proceed with the Olympics.

According to Japanese media including the Yomiuri Shimbun on the 28th, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga reiterated his intention to carry on with the Olympics as scheduled despite the daily record-breaking spread of COVID-19. When reporters from the Prime Minister's Office asked about the record number of COVID-19 cases reported the previous day, Prime Minister Suga stated, "We will not lower our guard and will implement infection prevention measures," and emphasized that due to various measures, the floating population has decreased, indicating that there will be no mid-term cancellation of the Olympics.

According to NHK's tally, 2,848 new cases were reported in Tokyo alone the previous day. This is double the number from a week ago and surpasses the previous record of 2,520 cases on January 7.

Across Japan, there were 7,629 new cases, which is close to the highest number recorded since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 pandemic in March last year, which was 7,882 cases on January 8 of this year. Also, the daily number of cases in Japan exceeding 7,000 is the first time in over six months since January 15. As of that day, the cumulative number of confirmed cases reached 883,766, and deaths increased by 12 in one day to a total of 15,165.

The number of new infections is also rising among athletes and officials participating in the Tokyo Olympics. On this day, seven more people involved with the Tokyo Olympics tested positive, bringing the total number of confirmed infections among event personnel since the 1st of this month to 155.

Some voices criticize that the relaxed social atmosphere due to the Olympics is lowering vigilance against COVID-19. Because of this, if new cases continue to explode, there is a possibility that voices from the anti-Olympics camp calling for the mid-term cancellation of the Olympics, scheduled to close on the 8th of next month, will grow stronger.