The Games were meant to be a moment of national celebration but – with coronavirus cases rising in Japan – this summer’s postponed Olympics are the subject of recrimination and protest. Can widespread public opposition overcome huge commercial pressure to go ahead?
When Tokyo’s bid to host the Olympics succeeded eight years ago, a supportive public expected the 2020 Games to be a moment of national unity – and, after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, a declaration that the country was open for business. Instead, the coronavirus pandemic forced a delay to 2021.
With the rearranged Games due to take place in less than two months the expected respite from the pandemic has not materialised, and with vaccination rates in Japan stubbornly low, polls suggest that as much as 80% of the public wants to see them postponed again or even called off. Justin McCurry, the Guardian’s Tokyo correspondent, tells Anushka Asthana why the movement to cancel the Games is facing an uphill battle in the face of vast financial pressure to go ahead.
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