(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) Changshan Atsuko was obviously so angry that she was shaking all over. Together with 250 other demonstrators, she is holding a protest rally in front of Tokyo City Hall. The sign in her hand read: “Cancel the Olympics!”
Atsuko Nagyama told Deutsche Welle: “We all know that some new variants of the new crown virus are spreading in Tokyo. It is too dangerous to insist on holding the Olympics. I hope that the government and the International Olympic Committee can regain their sanity and realize the current situation. danger.”
Nagayama, now 60, lives in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo. She set off on Wednesday evening to attend today’s protest rally.
The Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games will be the first sports event in history to be held against the backdrop of a global outbreak. It is precisely because of the new crown epidemic that the Tokyo Olympics have been postponed for a full year. The demonstration rally was jointly organized by more than a dozen anti-Olympic groups, and the rally was a full month before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games at the National Stadium.
Demonstrators such as Atsuko Nagyama asked the government to cancel and postpone the Tokyo Olympics.
The latest polls show that about 60% of the Japanese people are opposed to hosting the Olympics as originally planned, and in May this year, the proportion of opposition to the Olympics was as high as 84%.
Despite the severe situation of the epidemic, the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic team members still insisted on holding the event as originally planned. On Wednesday, the Japanese epidemic prevention department reported that there were 1,797 new cases nationwide, of which 619 were new cases in Tokyo. This is the first time since May 28 that the number of new cases in a single day exceeded 600. An official panel of experts issued a warning that the number of cases may increase. In particular, the rapid spread of the “Delta” mutant virus is particularly worrying for experts, because this mutant virus is believed to be extremely contagious. Experts believe that as of the opening day of the Olympics on July 23, the delta variant may account for 69% of new infections in Japan.
Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets to protest the Tokyo Olympics as scheduled.
The government has formulated strict anti-epidemic measures
In order to curb the spread of the new crown virus, the government has stipulated that the number of spectators for all Olympic events held in the National Stadium shall not exceed 10,000, and other venues also have restrictions on the number of people.
At the same time, the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee issued a set of strict epidemic prevention guidelines. For example, before the audience enters the stadium, they must undergo a temperature test, and the audience is not allowed to eat or drink in groups, and it is also not allowed to buy or bring alcohol into the competition venue. In stadiums, spectators must wear masks. In addition, spectators are not allowed to shout loudly or cheer for athletes, and must leave the arena immediately after the game.
The voice of opposition is getting louder and the emperor is also worried
Although the authorities have instituted strict anti-epidemic measures, they have not been able to quell the opposition from some Japanese people. The president of the Tokyo Medical Association Haruo Ozaki said on Tuesday that the Japanese government, the International Olympic Committee and the National Olympic Organizing Committee of Japan continued to hold the Olympic Games despite the risks posed by the global epidemic. “It is really incomprehensible.”
The latest polls show that 60% of the people oppose hosting the Olympics during the epidemic.
On June 18, the Tokyo Medical Association and other medical institutions filed a joint petition to the government, requesting the cancellation of the competition or the holding of the competition without spectators. At a protest rally held in front of the Tokyo City Hall, Atsuko Nagyama told Deutsche Welle that the Japanese government’s insistence on hosting the Olympic Games was clearly ignoring the appeals made by medical scientists. “The government ignored the advice of scientists and medical experts. If you insist on hosting the Olympics, bad things will happen. The government only considers money, but we believe that the lives of ordinary people are more important,”
At a regular press conference on Thursday, the head of the Imperial Household Agency of Japan, Nishimura Yasuhiko said that Emperor Naruhito is also worried that the holding of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will lead to the further spread of the new crown virus. He hopes that relevant agencies can take common steps to avoid the spread of the epidemic. . Japanese media reported that Emperor Naruhito is the honorary president of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee and others are currently coordinating the Emperor’s attendance at the opening ceremony.
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