Two different Olympic scenes: Inside and outside the National Stadium

"Japan has attributed almost 11,000 deaths to COVID - good by world standards..."

Tell that to the 11,000 families.

Survival in Japan is now predicated on how rich you, how famous you or politically powerful you are.

Seated inside Tokyo's new $1.4 billion National Stadium...

Am I suppose to feel sorry about his cost?

American sprinter Justin Gatlin, who is trying to reach his fourth Olympics, said he felt safe competing in Tokyo. Gatlin won the 100 meters final in 10.24 seconds.

"I felt beyond safe," he said. "I've been tested every day."

Oh wonderful! So that's where our already-limited testing has been going - towards the athletes that have come over, not the local people. I wonder if their daily tests are counted in the overall number of tests each day, too.

What? No, nooo....I'm not angry. Of course I'm not. /sarcasm

So can you tell us "what is really going on in Japan"? Thanks!

Almost no testing, very few Vaccinated, no support from the government, SOE, ICUs at capacity in Tokyo, Osaka and other places as case numbers keep going up.

Plus the majority of the population do not want the games at this time because the money, the focus should be on testing, vaccination, and helping people and businesses survive.

How is that,

Antiquesaving

Same for CBC and the reason for ignoring it is quite simple.

Both the BBC and CBC have a vested interest in not showing what is really going on in Japan.

So can you tell us "what is really going on in Japan"? Thanks!

Thunderbird2

These games should really be cancelled right now... nobody wants them (nobody that matters anyway - do we really care what athletes and businesses want?)

Who decides who matters? Do you have a list of who matters and who does not?

And who is the "we" in "we do not care"? Please explain.

ZorotoToday  10:05 am JST

He is pictured wearing a mask whose main purpose is to filter the air he breathes and capture anything unwanted,

He is fully vaccinated. Do you think he is worried about getting serious COVID?

No, Coe is smart -- corrupt and heartless to the bone, but smart. Outside of Japan, you don't get to that kind of leadership position if you are stupid.

He may be vaccinated but that doesn't stop him spreading the virus around on everything he touches.

I have known many stupid people in leadership positions outside of Japan but I've probably lived for much longer than you have.

@Thunderbird2

You claim that nobody that matters wants the Olympics. Do you have any evidence of this?

I also wonder what type of person it is that matters, I take it you are one for example?

Because people know what is going on in Brazil, the Canadian gymnastics team will not qualify for the Tokyo Olympics because despite the "bubble" created in Rio for the qualifying meet, the Canadian gymnastics association decided it was to much of a risk to go to Rio.

If the public knew the reality of Tokyo perhaps then they would pull out.

The BBC mentions in just one line, ‘a small protest outside the stadium’.

Same for CBC and the reason for ignoring it is quite simple.

Both the BBC and CBC have a vested interest in not showing what is really going on in Japan.

They stand to lose a lot in broadcasting rights (and money) because they are the ones that overpaid for the rights.

ITV is keeping quiet because they hope to get the rights in the future as It came very close to getting the 2022 games away from BBC.

Any rocking the boat and ITV will never stand a chance again.

To those stating that if the Japanese people really cared they would be protesting in their hundreds and thousands... that would be irresponsible... there's a virus running rampant out there. You don't hold protest marches and massive rallies in a pandemic. It's crazy.

These games should really be cancelled right now... nobody wants them (nobody that matters anyway - do we really care what athletes and businesses want?)

Isn't Tokyo now under a SoE? If so, why wasn't that non-physical distancing crowd not arrested by those police officers for violating the government mandate of not going outside during the ramped up Covid outbreak as decreed by their government leaders?

Because the Japanese government does not have the legal right to decree restrictions of public freedom laid down in the constitution; it can only ask, request and urge, and it has no legal right to inflict punishment on individuals who ignore the asking, requesting and urging.

The world media is rightfully calling this event a disgraceful breakdown of social order that will undoubtedly lead to more death and misery in that country.

The BBC mentions in just one line, ‘a small protest outside the stadium’.

The Guardian has a picture captioned ‘People holding placards protest against the Tokyo Olympic Games outside the Japan Olympic Museum’, and an article that makes no mention of the protest but points out that the majority of the Japanese people want the games either cancelled or postponed.

No mention that I can find anywhere of any disgraceful breakdown of social order.

This is gaining a lot of overseas traction, and some nations are beginning to finally question holding the Olympics in the current state, and especially with Japanese having vaccinated next to no one (and putting the lives of Olympians first). While Japan claims to be powerless to put into place any legislation that would allow a hard lockdown, I am betting they are discussing ways to put a lid on the growing protest because it is accomplishing what no voices or actions in Japan can accomplish -- embarrassing the government and perhaps forcing them to act.

If the virus made inroads into the elderly population in Japan then deaths would increase dramatically.

The fact that social distancing is STILL not a concept that most Japanese do not understand means that bringing people together for an unnecessary event is stupidity itself...

This quote from the story says it all. “Miyuki Otomo, a retired teacher attending the rally, called the Olympics a "horrendous event" that is being pushed on the public for commercial reasons.”

@Antiquesaving

I point out these people as those at risk which is still minimal apart from over 80’s. I thought my posts made it clear my views which are, that for the majority of people Covid is not a serious issue. Therefore lockdowns are unnecessary and continuing daily lives and events should continue but with added precautions.

American sprinter Justin Gatlin, who is trying to reach his fourth Olympics, said he felt safe competing in Tokyo. Gatlin won the 100 meters final in 10.24 seconds.

"I felt beyond safe," he said. "I've been tested every day."

But he said these Olympics will not please everyone.

...ok, a few days ago I said that NOW countries other than Japan (& the ioc) are complicit as none yet have stepped to do the right thing....

NOW athletes like the selfish Gatlin above who clearly is only thinking about HIMSELF! And of course now we have wishy washy Osaka as well & many more.

So NOW athletes are fast becoming complicit if the havoc these games have caused, people, economies & countries, enough is ENOUGH!!

They should be in front of PDMA's offices protesting the inability to do anything with urgency. There's 70 million doses of vaccine sitting in warehouses waiting for them according to NHK.

I never mentioned the value of life of a young or elderly person, 

No need to say it, by continually pointing out elderly, people with underlying problems, the message is loud and clear.

Isn't Tokyo now under a SoE? If so, why wasn't that non-physical distancing crowd not arrested by those police officers for violating the government mandate of not going outside during the ramped up Covid outbreak as decreed by their government leaders? The world media is rightfully calling this event a disgraceful breakdown of social order that will undoubtedly lead to more death and misery in that country.

@Antiquesaving

I never mentioned the value of life of a young or elderly person, this is an assumption on your behalf or perhaps a slur on my character to reinforce your beliefs.

The Risks to non elderly and healthy remains incredibly low, I have never mentioned only elderly die. Most younger who die are obese. Olympic athletes and their. Entourage are unlikely to have health issues

The risks to healthy non seniors is incredibly low. If this was a mass event for seniors or obese then yes, there may be issues

Not following the news recently are you?

Seriously illness and deaths are on the rise in most countries among the young and healthy due to more virulent variants.

This constant "only old people die" stuff is getting old and tiresome.

Sorry you don't see the elderly as being worth living but most of us care about our elderly.

@Antiquesaving

Yes it is wise. This is a large event which the world needs to show the world life can go on. Everything in life has risks but with the constant testing and supervision the risks are negligible. We can all live under a rock and like hermit until there in no Covid worldwide

The risks to healthy non seniors is incredibly low. If this was a mass event for seniors or obese then yes, there may be issues

it’s all speculation and spreads unnecessary fear.

No they are facts!

Fact: For 3 days this person was going around in contact with other.

Fact: incubation time is as much as 14 days, so no one will know who or if others were infected!

Fact: People without symptoms and even not showing positive test but have the virus can spread the virus.

These are facts not speculation, not conspiracies but actual facts.

The fact that the Japanese have covid and the government isn't testing is also a fact and is because nothing can interrupt holding the Olympics.

Seeing the number of cases rising, variants spreading is it wise to take the risk of even more variants entering the country?

@ Antiquesaving

Thousands of people in Japan currently have Covid yet one infected guy in a protected environment is going to cause chaos. This really is a conspiracy theory, it’s all speculation and spreads unnecessary fear.

http://www.healthdata.org/news-release/covid-19-has-caused-69-million-deaths-globally-more-double-what-official-reports-show

Not 10,000 deaths. It's closer to 100,000.

We know that a Tunisian official tested positive after 3 days here.

The claim that no one else was infected from this is not possible because if the simple fact of incubation time.

So in reality we may never know who or how many people that came into contact with this official will eventually have covid.

By the time a position test results is found, that person has already spread the virus around!

@Furan

One of the main issues is that the games will divert medical resources away from where they are needed (and now they are needed so urgently here in Japan). The request by the government and Suga to provide 500 additional nurses was laughed at by the medical community in Japan and is likely the reason that hospitals in Tokyo are literally putting up banners on the hospital urging cancellation or postponement of the Olympics.

The fact that people are literally dying at home waiting for a hospital bed in Japan now is also a major factor. The facilities for the athletes can be converted to facilities for the sick. Medical personnel who would be used for the games can be used for the Pandemic.

Vaccines set aside for the athletes and all the support personnel can be used for the general population. My Japanese in laws, both in their 80’s, will get their first vaccine in June and second in July. The general population – the current estimate is September.

I am not sure where you are located but If you have a thousand extra nurses, doctors, and ICU facilities up your sleeve please let us know where we can find them and send them over to Japan (Osaka and Kobe right now can really use them).

Finally, from an economic perspective, $12-$15 billion US dollars is not so much considering the potential long term economic impacts of another wave of the virus. Much of the money spent would need to be recovered over the long term by using the stadium and selling of the apartments at the Olympic Village.

In the end this is not about money. It is about the wishes of the Japanese citizens (nearly 80%) and the availability and rationale and sensible allocation of medical resources during a Pandemic.

It is sad to say that right now it appears the Japanese government and IOC do not care much about Japanese citizens (words from my wife and her family...words with which I agree).

@Christopher Glen

Show me your figures then….

OK, so I don't want to be this guy, athletes or the government right now.

On one hand, you've already spent $12.6 billion in preparing for the Olympics. Then, you have to extend because of Corona and take further countermeasures and the tally rises to $15.4 billion. Realizing that Corona is still a thing, there will be not much revenue (I estimate sub $1 billion) to be made, so you're writing mostly red numbers anyways. Then you have the costs of the individual athletes to stay in Olympic shape during all of this time that will go to waste if you cancel.

The other reality is that cancelling won't do anything for the people or athletes at this point because

a) Cancelling/postponing again will not make the costs go away.

b) The athletes are not in any greater risk of infection than they were if they were training at home. They are training at home anyways, so in the case of contact sports it really doesn't make a difference. You're still training with others. When not in the stadium, they will literally only have to watch out for things that they watch out for at home already.

c) International spectators are not allowed for the games anyways. And you can bet that the ones who do come will be separated from the majority of people who come from the inside. (a lot of people are not aware of this)

d) We do not even have a published limit on how many spectators there can be during the games at a time.

Not saying I support the Olympics, but IMO you might as well go through with it at this point. Surely, a cancellation seems logical, but does it serve any actual purpose in a country where lockdowns aren't a thing and the same potentially infectious people will just find another event and/or stroll around crowded places anyways? I say this is a perfect opportunity to test anyone with a ticket beforehand and deny them entry if they are not tested.

The medical system opposes the Olympics because opposing any mass-event during a pandemic is the only logical answer. What else could they say as physicians and decent human beings with a working brain?

It's really on the people whether they go or not. If they go, that's their responsibility. The people of the public who would attend a mass event like this despite the pandemic are the ones who are to blame for the outbreak in the first place. But of course, the people who protest the "elites" and/or government are the ones who gather in a flock during a worldwide pandemic - rather ironic, isn't it?

Again, I do not support the Olympics, but I think that regarding how stupid people are, it really won't matter as people will just be infecting people somewhere else during the Olympic renkyuu or other days - just like the same people obviously didn't care about the risks while protesting the Olympics. In a crowd. During a pandemic.

Would be funny if it wasn't so absolutely disgusting and sad.

"I've been tested every day."

Lucky you, obviously getting someone else to pay. If we were to get tested daily we'd be broke in a week!

@Badge213

We have a right to protest a corrupt Olympics -enough said.

@falseflagsteve

"The fact the more or less of doctors want the Olympics to go ahead is irrelevant to me. "

Well then we can never agree and that's fine.

@Pim

No idea and no idea of those against it, The Olympics won’t risk its reputation by being unsafe, it would be madness. The fact the more or less of doctors want the Olympics to go ahead is irrelevant to me. The organizers and the government will have taken top medical advice. I have no fears of super spreading or mass deaths etc

The Pandemic. The Olympics. Those who rule over us, who govern, supposedly: in the name of the people nary pay heed to the citizenry. Their loyalty and alliance lie elsewhere.

One wonders about responsibility for the ongoing pandemic and the feeble efforts to allay its effects and the simple gross ignorance that causes immeasurable difficulty and in certain cases sorrow.

There is a failure of leadership among elected officials. Here we all are, in Japan, a highly evolved nation-state and only 2% of the population has been inoculated against the SARSCoV-2. The first reported domestic case of viral infection in Japan was in January 2020. 17 months. It has been stated that vaccination of the citizenry will take seven months - that would be in 2022.

The impacts on business large and small has been devastating, especially among small, local, independent shops, cafes, restaurants and businesses. Anecdotally, two of the schools I used to teach at, part-time, are no longer in business, both were long term entities and a loss of students due to the pandemic forced closure. They operated at a loss for almost a year, but the owners could no longer afford to pay expenses out of pocket, as there wasn't enough revenue to pay staff and the rent. They tapped out their savings.

The very Prime minister, now in office, was one of the architects of industrial tourism, dependent on well-heeled Chinese. This evolved over the past several years and created a dependency on one source for tourist dollars. It also beckoned creating infrastructure that catered primarily, if not solely, to Chinese tourists. Not a wise tact.

Chinese authorities, well aware of the contagion failed to immediately halt travel of its citizens. Additionally, Japan failed to halt the entry of individuals from the country responsible for the virus & countries where the virus was rampant. That responsibility lies completely in the hands of the heads of the central government.

Japanese pharmaceutical companies are not capable of developing vaccines for such as a pandemic. That withstanding, government officials did not acquire nor set-up a system to inoculate the populous, even though the pandemic has been ongoing for almost 18 months.

These same responsible individuals and their brethren, who represent a large economic enterprise which directly benefits the powers-that-be and which government officials slavishly serve, deem The Olympics will not be cancelled or postponed, no matter the cost. Which is almost Freudian in its pronouncement. The economic costs will never be recovered and atop this the danger of a super-spreader event, an unnecessary spectacle endangers the health an welfare of a people who oppose the event.

The Financial Crash and the Tohoku Earthquake/Nuclear disaster didn’t stop life going on in Japan

Japan still hasn't recovered from any of these disasters, natural or man-made. Maybe taking time out to thoroughly address and solve a problem is exactly what Japan needs to do.

@falseflagsteve

Can you remind us the names of the doctors and scientists who said the games will be safe?

@ Hiro

Thank you for proving my point, but what's yours actually?

Public surveys being done by large media and marketing companies, I doubt we'll have another one soon. Unfortunately.

Last we heard, 80 % of Japanese don't want the games this year.

As they say, the show must go in, or in this case the games. The Olympics is a very important worldwide event. Huge effort is being made to ensure the games are safe

Safety is paramount and the Olympics will be.

@harry He is pictured wearing a mask whose main purpose is to filter

Medical masks prevent 70% infection. Eye protection 20% infection. Ear protection 2-5%. The rest is touching your face and infection via pores of the skin.

How many people i see in the pic? Only a pitiful handful. And most were police and reporters.

the International Olympic Committee relies on billions in television broadcast income

Unfortunately, these pictures with a handful of people holding signs doesn't serve well their purpose. Easy to counter argument that most people don't care, as one poster said.

People opposed to the games should push that online petition further. 310,000 so far. Still growing, but slowing down. I think 1 million is possible and a striking figure.

I ask every Japanese I meet if they support the Games this year. If not, i.e. 100% of cases, I ask if they know about the petition and have signed it.

100 people at a protest and 20~60,000 people arriving for the Olympics is a slightly different matter chum.

100 people who are not tested vs people who will be tested, not once, not twice, but three times just to enter Japan and almost daily after. CHUM

Athletes will live in a 'Bubble', but what about media, officials, technicians, and others who comprise the Olympic family? And before the circus, many of the athletes will stay in training camps located around the country - so-called 'Satellite Villages'

There are also the food and beverage, housekeeping and cleaning, transportation and security staff who have to service the 'Bubble' and these satellite villages.

A couple of masks and some handgel, before they go home to their families via public transportation.

The 'Playbook' contains notable exceptions:

*Use dedicated Games vehicles. Do not use public transport unless it is the only option to reach certain locations such as remote venues!*

And for the VIPs. of the 'Olympic family'

Do not use public transport unless given permission!

"I don't think athletes should be treated specially," she said. "I think all lives matter and I don't think it's a matter of priority. Athletes and the general public are all the same and should be treated fairly."

Runner Hitomi Niiya has the right attitude. Giving a special allocation of vaccines to Olympic athletes just isn't fair when so many people around Japan are suffering because hospitals have so many Covid cases. Holding the Olympics poses an unreasonable risk for local people, and the benefits of holding the games (e.g., "national pride") just aren't worth it.

I was looking forward to participating in an academic conference in Kyoto to be convened one month after the Olympics in late August; but it was put exclusively on-line because of the pandemic, which means my participation will be confined to sitting in my apartment in Nara, staring into a small screen. But that's OK. Coronavirus has caused big inconvenience for most of us, and tragedy for many.

The government tells us: "if the Olympics is cancelled, the athletes will be disappointed." But why should they be different from the rest of us? This pandemic hasn't been a picnic.

"I felt beyond safe," he said. "I've been tested every day."

So where's everybody else's test? You know, all those residents who showed symptoms, sometimes severe, and were told to just stay home. You get tested once a day, whereas ordinary folks can't even get one unless they pay from their own pockets after travelling across town.

For decades, the Olympics have been nothing but a cash grab for large corporations. The fact that the IOC and others involved are hell-bent on holding the games during a pandemic only proves that.

“It’s not good at all! Those people have lost their lives. I find this quite insensitive the way it’s written.”

And how many from suicide due to the preventive measures taken? The figures show a number higher than Covid fatalities.

Coe really isn't too bright where Covid is concerned.

He is pictured wearing a mask whose main purpose is to filter the air he breathes and capture anything unwanted, like droplets containing a virus, on the outside surface. So, he sits there holding the outside surface of the mask with bare fingers with which he will then touch various parts of himself, other people and surfaces etc.

Sadly many other people do this too.

The exposure in overseas media (at least in the United States0 about this is increasing dramatically.

https://www.thestreet.com/latest-news/japanese-hospital-cancel-the-tokyo-olympics

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-07/calls-to-cancel-tokyo-olympics-grow-louder-as-emergency-extended

Heck even the San Jose Mercury News is weighing in:

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/05/08/editorial-ioc-should-cancel-or-postpone-tokyo-olympics-over-covid-concerns/

No wonder these elites are trying harder to spread their propoganda now. It is very easy for them to do so as they do not need to deal with the fallout as they will come, travel in their private vehicles, be ensured of medicl treatment if they do fall ill, and they leave the Japanese people with the mess. It is selfishness on a level rarely seen.

Maybe they are backed into a corner. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

My in laws (both in 80s) will get their first vaccination in June and their second in July (they received a notice from their Ward Office). It seems the general population will start to be vaccinated in September at the soonest.

The cases are likely to go down and the Olympics will run and the citizens of Tokyo will be in loved with the Olympics. Like easily this year those cases are going to drop like flys

P. SmithToday  08:01 am JST

And Gatlin is a dirty drug cheat. Fact.

Cite? Google isn’t turning up anything that confirms your assertion.

Maybe you don't know how to use Google? Try a search on

justin gaitlin drugs

and you may be surprised.

Justin Gaitlin - two doping suspensions in his career

https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a20864522/justin-gatlin-finds-himself-in-the-eye-of-another-doping-scandal/

@Badge213

100 people at a protest and 20~60,000 people arriving for the Olympics is a slightly different matter chum.

"If the Olympics were really a normal event, they would simply cancel it because of the pandemic."

Very succinct observation. And since it's not being cancelled, people have every right to be suspicious and even angry.

So some of them believe that a mass gathering at the Olympics will be a dangerous super spreader event. So to protest it, let's have a mass gathering event...

The IOC themselves are saying why the Games should NOT be held: bc they are looking only after "their" athletes and officials. Maybe journalists. But not so much for the tens of thousands (!) of local Japanese workers on the front lines. Not only health care workers, but cleaners, service staff, information staff, translators etc....they will all come in close contact and their work will not be as clean as those "Playbooks" dreamingly suggest, because of understaffing and logistical shortcomings!

I wonder why IOC/JOC can't cancel the Olympics? no longer big profit from Olympics. It seems to me what Japan can do is it lose bigger or stop big loss. If Olympics is overseas, not Japan, It would already have said, "Japan don't send athletes there under the circumstance".

"All the athletes, including myself, feel all we can do is to accept what gets decided - if the Olympics go on or not - and do our best if they are on."

reading the article, it doesn't seem that athletes want the Olympics that much.

the International Olympic Committee relies on billions in television broadcast income

Thats the key piece of information in the article that tells you why this is all going ahead! Why does the Olympic committee need billions? Like all these organisations it’s a money siphoning racket of the n’th degree. It should be a non profit organisation period!

People protesting here are so cute!

How many people will suffer because of the Japan Olympics? They will hide this truth from us as well as how they botched the COVID 19 vaccine distribution.

The Olympics will be held at OUR costs be that in human or financial terms...

Most said they needed to think about it, but Japanese 5,000-meter runner Hitomi Niiya said she opposed putting athletes at the front of the line.

I give her credit for stating what a hell of a lot of people are thinking!

@dbsaiya - In addition to what you have said they should be required to continue to ride the Yamanote line for a month after the Olympics to show their true dedication. And they should also do this unvaccinated to ensure their experience is fully equivalent to that of the Japanese citizens as well.

IOC is lucky to be hosting these Olympics in a place with such passive people.

Should it be abroad, any country with 80% of the population against the event, and you’d be having riots until it was officially cancelled.

Never too late to go a bit more wild this time japanese citizens and fellow foreign residents...

Coe, Bach, and Coates should all live in Tokyo and ride the Yamanote line everyday during rush hour until July before they open their mouths.

Cite? Google isn’t turning up anything that confirms your assertion.

Gatlin - 2 time convicted drug cheat. Should have been banned for life.

I'm not doing the search for you. Google is your friend.

Only 100 protestors showed up? You would think there would be tens of 1000s outside the stadium if the public really cared.

"I recognize that nine athletes coming for a test event is very different from thousands of competitors coming to this city over the course of the summer months," Coe said.

DUH!

He added that he was "very empathetic" with the concerns of a Japanese public that has shown in polls it overwhelmingly opposes holding the Olympics during a pandemic.

How so? He still wants to hold the event.

I wish he cared even 1% about the safety of the Japanese public, as he spends on his knees during the National Anthem.

Yep. And Gatlin is a dirty drug cheat. Fact.

Coe is nothing but a corrupt, money-chasing politician. Crooked for decades.

"But the vast majority of athletes I speak to are just wanting to get into the games

Despicable. Like crooked Coe, they are selfish. Its all about them. The VAST MAJORITY of people do not want this disgusting event that will take away resources from the fight against this disaster that should be ramped up.

Delay until 2022.

That gives time for the pandemic to be better understood (such as variants) and a better chance for it to be brought under control (vaccines and a proper test/trace plan).

Let's be honest, there are people that want it canceled with or without the pandemic (plenty on here).

Compromise would be a delay.

They are going to great lengths and cost to ensure the safety of the thousands of athletes and delegates. Imagine if they cared even half as much for the millions of their own taxpaying population.

Only governments employees , the Rich and Elites, are vaccinated totaling about 2% of the population and could care less about the rest of the population.

The games may be held!? and the general public will deal with the aftermath, and generally the middle and poor class will pay the price.

Another arrogant elite who does not care what the Japanese citizens think. He can come, baske in his glory and leave. The rest of us who live here will have to deal with the potential fallout.

Any money being used for this debacle can be diverted to help those who are suffering financially. Any facilities can be used as isolation centers or can be converted to additional ICU capacity.

@Simian - The Japanese citizens are overwhelmingly against this but this does not seem to matter. Do you even consider this when you make these statements? Or are the citizens supposed to be merely subjects and conform to what the IOC, JOC, and LDP order.

Naomi Osaka appears to be starting to hint that she is not sure if the Olympics should be held. I have no idea what her intentions are but she put this out there.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/more-sports/naomi-osaka-unsure-if-tokyo-olympics-should-be-held-this-summer/ar-BB1gxzm0?ocid=msedgdhp&pfr=1

The best way to stop these games cold is for Japanese medical professionals to boycott the games. By contract Japan is obligated to provide medical professionals and if there are none to be had there will be no games. This was well artculated in the article in the Washington Post by Sally Jenkins on May 5th. She even provides a link to the contract in the 3rd Paragraph. This is also probably why the LDP and JOC are so hell bent on finding medical professionals for the event.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/05/05/japan-ioc-olympic-contract/

This is one of the biggest sports debacles in history and the fact that it is occuring at a time when a Pandemic is actually ACCELERATING in the host country makes it a notable news event.

In my opinion the Olympics should be delayed another year or just skip this cycle and push them back to Tokyo Olympics 2024. But the protesters aren’t helping by protesting in a closely packed group - much like the BLM protests and riots in the US last year. There is a pandemic going on - protesting in groups large or small can only help spread the disease. Be smart - protest online.

I really fear that even if worldwide (Japan included) CV-19 cases continue to rise by then, the Olympics will continue regardless just because they've already decided and would just brush off or cover up infections among the athletes and staff for the sake of just going on with the event.

“Japan has attributed almost 11,000 deaths to COVID - good by world standards but poor compared to Asian neighbors like Taiwan and Vietnam.”

It’s not good at all! Those people have lost their lives. I find this quite insensitive the way it’s written.

If most if not all foreign athletes are vaccinated I’d hope the Japanese ones would be too, otherwise is there not a risk of local transmission?

"Olympics Kill The Poor"

Could have been a bit more subtle but true. More accurately, the priorities of the LDP like with the Olympics, vaccination, GoTo, subsidies for businesses only are killing the poor.