Tokyo: More than 400,000 people have signed a petition calling for the cancellation of the upcoming Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The petition was launched on May 5 by renowned lawyer and politician Kenji Utsunomiya. The petition is addressed to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Minister of Olympic Affairs Tamayo Marukawa, President of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee Seiko Hashimoto and Governor of Tokyo Yuriko Koike.
According to the petition, the organizations in question "are currently forcibly pushing to pursue the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games," while Tokyo and other regions, as well as all countries across the world, are struggling to curb the spread of the deadly virus.
"The Tokyo Olympic Games will not be possible without the help from countless healthcare workers, medical institutions, and valuable medical resources. Multiple medical professionals however, have already informed the public that there is no such room for more medical demands ... it is highly possible that holding the Olympics will be a super-spreader and worsen the situation that we are currently in," the petition read.
Some Japanese polls suggest that most people indeed wanted the Olympics cancelled. In addition, Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun - an official partner of the Games - asked the prime minister on Wednesday to cancel the event, citing pandemic-related threats to public safety and the strain on the country's health care system.
As of Thursday, most of Japan's prefectures hosting the Olympics, including Tokyo, are in a state of emergency over a surge in COVID-19 infections. (UNI)