Plans to sell alcohol at Olympic venues draw criticism from thirsty Tokyo residents

Approval of Olympic alcohol sales could offer a ray of hope for sponsor Asahi Group Holdings, which has exclusive rights to offer its best-selling Super Dry lager to thirsty sport fans.

Thats the reason, has nothing to do with expert advice, it’s just the money. Although as you cough and cough you might get thirsty and best-selling Super Dry Larger might just help that breathing problem, if you drink enough.

All sorts of "scientific rules" being broken for the 'lympics.

The JOC just keep taking the “piss” don’t they...

 "It's necessary to think carefully about banning alcohol" at Tokyo 2020 said Toshihiro Nikai, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

Says the octogenarian LDP eminence grise who pushed through the Go To Travel campaign that spread coronavirus all over Japan. You didn't 'think carefully' about that one, did you.

What a complete farce this is...three people in a bar can't have a beer but 10,000 in a stadium can. Unreal.

This hypocrisy is reaching a whole new level. 

Meanwhile we're being told please watch the games on TV, definitely don't hang out and drink in wide open-air spaces like parks. Heck we just got done being banned from a single glass of wine with a meal at a family restaurant. No wonder even the usually reserved and overly-tolerant Japanese public are noticeably losing patience

So yeah, people will be able to drink alcohol every night while viewing events, but my local yakitori has to close down at 8pm and can't accept groups of over two people. Tokyo Organising Committee, please go fall down a well.

First, people can watch the games somber

That’s the best autocorrect in history.

People remember the whole point of the story is" best-selling Super Dry Larger" now as we know "best-selling Super Dry Larger" is not just the best-best-selling Super Dry Larger it's a funnel of money supporting the (best-selling Super Dry Larger) Olympics as a sponsor the best-selling Super Dry Larger is very important. Without the best-selling Super Dry Larger These Olympics might not be possible. So open a can pore it down the sink or toilet and thank best-selling Super Dry Larger for all they have done.

Asahi is a poor excuse for beer. A shame people buy it under any circumstances.

You can't have a beer in a restaurant, but you can have another non-alcoholic drink there. You can't buy beer in a restaurant, but you can buy beer in a shopping mall full of people. You can't have a beer in a pub with a few people, but you can go to a stadium with 10,000 people.

All the Olympic Family; the IOC members, officials, delegates, family, friends and sponsors are classified as organisers, and are therefore exempt from the 10,000 person limit. It must be thirsty work, sitting for hours on end, watching 'athletes' doing their sports, or checking the revenue from NBC and the broadcast streams, so alcoholic refreshment must be provided to these VIPs.

The Lords of the Rings can't go thirsty!

The title of the article is written as if all the people of Tokyo were addicted to alcohol...

They just have....nothing in place or figured out. Just blindly rolling out plans for an alternative reality where Covid19 has been brought under control, and the vaccination program has been completed.

It's just the ultimate display of ineptitude on every front.

Another inept decision. I am no longer surprised by the utter lack of integrity and downright corruption on the part of the JOC / IOC. It is getting so bad that they no longer even bother to cover it up. Meanwhile the people are "comfortably numb".

Questions around alcohol have become a focal point for public anger in part due to a perception that authorities are prioritizing holding the Games over restoring normality to the daily lives of residents.

Exactly. It seems to me one of most unfair, unreasonable points. First, people can watch the games somber. Second, while restaurants/bars have been, will continue to be prohibited or largely restrained from serving alcohols, why allowing exemptions?

This is just WRONG on so so many levels!!! But NOT surprising sadly. They have LIED about not allowing fans, now they are rolling in the kegs of asahi which I will NOT knowing buy ever again!!!

Look people. If you are not part of the Elite attending the Olympics you have to follow the rules. If you are a pleeb who is part of the general population then you have to follow. IOC/JOC/Tokyo Supreme Leader has spoken!

10,000 Japanese drunk fans= kanpai.

World Class Athletes= No rubbers, Cardboard beds, Omotenashi nashi.

"Unity through Sport."

"It's necessary to think carefully about banning alcohol" at Tokyo 2020 said Toshihiro Nikai, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

Is it? Really?

Priorities, folks. - Can’t lose any precious future votes:

*- “It’s necessary to think carefully about banning alcohol" at Tokyo 2020 said Toshihiro Nikai, secretary general of the ruling LDP.*

On this issue, ‘thinking carefully’ is important. - Priorities.

vaccinations are ramping up, most of the population is yet to receive their first shot 31 days from the start of the Games

The contradiction of the day,

still waiting.......................

This is getting ridiculous now...

Ban foreign fans, but allow in sponsors, their families & guests... restrict admission to 10k people, ensure there is no cheering, no loud voices, no celebrating, but hey DRINK ASAHI SUPER DRY!!!

What's next ...

Kono Olympic wa goran no suponsā no teikyō de ookuri shimashita

First and foremost is money.

My guess is that the restaurant industry didn't pay enough in kickbacks/bribes to the politicians. Asahi must have ponied up some dough. Whatever reason for the very damaging and hugely nonsensical rules?

Business as usual

If folks have not seen the latest rebuke from Dr Ozaki, who is Chairman of Tokyo Medical Association - please read the article (link below)

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210622/p2a/00m/0na/024000c

Basically the title itself says everything - "Holding Tokyo Games with spectators 'incomprehensible': Tokyo medical assoc. head"

But ofcourse the IOC/JOC/TOC and Suga know better than Dr Ozaki and they override all medical doctors warnings/concerns - hold Olympics, have 10,000 paid spectators (plus 10,000 more VIPs, plus school children - which as per this article is on top of paid 10,000 spectators), serve alcohol to these spectators, demand the spectators should travel straight from their home to Olympic venue without stopping anywhere, go back straight to their homes after event is over, must wear mask (only to remove it for drinking their previous sponsor beer), dont cheer but only clap and the list of all such absurd decisions keeps on going......

It is sad to see Japan becoming a joke in front of the world media with these wishy washy policies and complete and blatant ignorance of medical doctors advice...

@objective

Where do you get this 32 million shots' figure from?

I don't either. I better stop drinking Asahi.

They just now reversed this decision. Guess they realized how stupid they looked

What a complete farce this is...three people in a bar can't have a beer but 10,000 in a stadium can. Unreal.

Beer, yes, but what about ‘Ladyboys’, Alfie?

A pint of lager, a gin and tonic, and a small Bailey’s Irish Cream would go down a treat while watching the Games.

That’s absolutely normal. I’ve already wondered how anybody there thought he could stand only five minutes of such an ‘event’ without flowing streams of strong narcotics like alcohol. lol

Asahi want a return on their investment on this tawdry event.

Good luck making your $3 billion back. Does anyone remember the companies that sponsored the last olympics? I can't even remember which city hosted the 2016 Olympics. So irrelevant.

It is safe to drink at the Olympics but dangerous to drink in a restaurant.

Sorry, I don't believe that. I don't believe anyone believes that

I don't believe bar and restaurants believe that, and I don't believe their customers do.

You can't ask bars and restaurants that depend on alcohol sales for survival to stop selling alcohol when you allow Asahi to sell alcohol at Olympic venues.

This is an outrageous case of double standard. Even the usually cooperative and obedient Japanese public will see this and stop cooperating and being obedient.

There's definitely a sponsor in there somewhere, since they have claimed so many times alcohol is the cause of the spread (unless it's the politicians doing it after hours). Ridiculous how many times they've contradicted themselves. Honestly, bars should just start serving again if the government is allowing this. THere's clearly no laws against it.

…authorities are prioritizing holding the Games over restoring normality to the daily lives of residents.

This is a absolutely spot on! After the games when the 4th wave ( which will be worse as far as Japan is concerned) hits expect a lot more hardship within the local communities and people won’t be able to make ends meet!

This is what happens when you turn your rights over to a government of “experts”. The experts often turn out not to be very expert at running other people’s lives. The people that make up the government are subject to the same human frailties, groupthink, and pressures from outside interests as anyone else. So in this case the government is serving the interests of the IOC and their corporate sponsors.

Ah. The Covid Games. Lubricated with alcohol. Excellent.

Infection rate still continues, https://japantoday.com/category/national/Tokyo-reports-435-new-coronavirus-cases-nationwide-tally-1-437

Better not loosen grip on prevention measures . . . .

Yes, they just reversed the decision. I think the news is too fresh to be in English right now.

Tried Asahi once and it tastes like pup soda, NEVER tried it again.

Asahi is revolting.

Sometimes it becomes so clear that the government have invalid priorities that there is not really anything that they could say to pretend otherwise. People have to avoid doing a lot of things, except when it benefits certain sponsors...

Got it, thanks. Let’s hope it passes muster:

Hurray! - “It seems that the harsh reaction of public opinion was taken into consideration.”

Roughly translated: “Turn off liquor sales at the Olympic venue - A change from the provisional consideration” - Today - 10:29pm

“On the 22nd, the Tokyo Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games decided to turn off the sale of alcoholic beverages to spectators at the venue. We were considering providing it by setting restrictions on the time of day, but we decided that it would be difficult from the perspective of countermeasures against new coronavirus infectious diseases. It seems that the harsh reaction of public opinion was also taken into consideration.

“The Organizing Committee, which has a sponsorship contract with the alcoholic beverage company Asahi Breweries, announced on the 22nd that it will not decide the sales policy based on the intentions of the sponsors.” -

Gotta love it!

“At a press conference, Tamayo Marukawa, the Olympic minister, pointed out that in the prefectures where priority measures such as prevention of spread are being taken, the governor indicates the ideal way of providing alcoholic beverages, and "it is necessary to consult with the governor to decide."

Ignore what ever they tell you suggest, say, or imply and do the complete opposite, treat them as they treat you.

After all what ever you suggest, say, or imply to your govt or officials is ignored , Right ?

The Yen always beats the Yang! Money talks, money makes all things happen.

Here we have a picture of a special summer quazi-izakaya, which will open during a quazi-state of safety (to be announced very soon, trust me guys), serving quazi-beer to quazi spectators with quazi-coughs, who will enjoy quazi-entertainment - culminating in a quazi variant which athletes can take home as a momento...

Accutely aware this is a quazi-comment from a quazi-observer. I apologise.

@snowymountainhell

If you can speak Japanese, here you go:

五輪会場、酒類販売を見送りへ　提供検討から一転、コロナ対策で (共同通信)

https://lin.ee/pWre5Ci?mediadetail=1?utm_source=line&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=talk

Again I will state: It Is All About The CASH.

How can you afford the cost of a beer after paying through the nose for event tickets? Pfft!

@Wakaranai89...you forgot to mention the parting gift of made-in-Japan, XS quasi-condoms. Lol

Huh?What?What’s your source? where? @Tokyo-Engr 10:15pm

“They just now reversed this decision. Guess they realized how stupid they looked” -

It’s on LINE News, so you may have to access the link from that app.

Found a non-LINE link too:

https://www.47news.jp/6429346.html

Alcohol may provide immunity from all diseases , if enough is consumed on a daily basis. After 5 or 6 drinks many people feel immortal,!

Alcohol suppresses the immune system so not a great idea during a pandemic. Should have had a V8

Firstly I would like to dispute Bob Fosse's comment on Asahi beers. They are the best lagers in the world in my opinion!

Secondly I felt proud of Japan for avoiding lockdowns as much as possible and being slow to trust vaccinations which are still under trials. Now it seems they are being forced into a corner by world agendas. Sad to witness.. Japan is a wonderful and inspirational nation of people.

Juyst post it @knittyElf 10:25pm unless this is more smoke ala Olympic Support?

@pim @TokyoJoe

Here is the link... https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations?country=JPN

it is actually 33 million now

By the time the Olympics are on, bars and izakayas will be in full swing. Numbers will fall even more by then with tens of millions more being vaccinated.

"Go Nihon" Didn't see what I did there did ya? :)

We will all be drinking in bars with friends again soon!

The good news is that Japan has now injected 32.9M doses (most of them in the past month)

With this rapid rate it is easy to say that things will ONLY get better in Japan, and very soon. These low numbers in most prefectures show that good things are coming.

Not sure why people are complaining. Beer served at the Olympics is a natural disinfectant. Coronavirus is unable to spread when beer is present.

GO Nihon!!

i welcome the chance to drink delicious Asahi Beer!