Pessimism Of Japanese Citizens Welcomes The Olympics Amid The COVID-19 Pandemic

Photo illustration (Source: Antara)

JAKARTA - Only a quarter of Japanese citizens want the Tokyo Olympics which is postponed by the corona virus to be held next year. On the other hand, most want it to be postponed or even canceled.

The conclusion was drawn from the results of a poll quoted by AFP on Monday, July 20. Of the three-day national poll, only 23.9 percent wanted the 2020 Olympics to be held next year.

The poll, conducted by the Kyodo news agency, found 36.4 percent for respondents who asked to be postponed and 33.7 percent in favor of being canceled altogether.

Most of those who supported the postponement or cancellation were those who did not believe the pandemic was contained during the Olympics, which are now scheduled for July 23, 2021.

A separate survey conducted by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper found a figure of 33 percent supports next year's Olympics. Meanwhile, another 61 percent supported postponement or cancellation.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics were canceled last March due to the coronavirus pandemic. The national poll echoes a separate survey last month of Tokyo residents that concluded more than half of the population supported postponements or cancellations.

Japan and Olympic officials have made it clear that there will be no more delays. But concerns are rising in Japan about a new wave of infections with the capital Tokyo itself registering high daily cases of late.

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach declared last week that the Tokyo Olympics could be a "unique milestone for the whole world" by noting that the event "will be the first worldwide gathering after the coronavirus."

However, Bach stated that his party had prepared several Olympic formats if the pandemic did not stop, including the Olympics without spectators.

Kyodo News conducted a telephone survey of 1,045 people, while Asahi conducted a similar survey of 2,097 respondents.