tokyo 2020 olympics

Powerless and angry: Japan's anti-Olympic activists fight on

81 Comments
By Kyoko HASEGAWA

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81 Comments
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Just dont watch it and completely avoid it.

10 ( +26 / -16 )

Not sure why they bother and risk getting infected. The olympic is already been going for 2 weeks now. Is way too late to stop anyway. There is only one more week to go. They should just stay home.

The moment all the athletes from around the world had arrive, it already guaranteed that it cannot be stop anymore.

-9 ( +20 / -29 )

But since the opening ceremony, sentiment seems to have softened.

Err no, not with me it hasn’t- it’s still a wasteful overpriced debacle!

19 ( +38 / -19 )

These delusional people need to move on. They are aware that the Olympics are already halfway done?

-8 ( +26 / -34 )

Yep. Powerless and wasting their time. Their 80% oppositon has dwindled dramatically too now.

Many more things they could focus their energy on re Government failings. Their protests were akin to super spreader events themselves.

-12 ( +18 / -30 )

sentiment seems to have softened.

So, a significant number of people are in favor of a ponderous event costing taxpayers 20-30 billion dollars that they are not allowed to attend amidst a surge of deadly covid infections? Just because some pieces of metal were acquired?

That doesn't give one much faith in human nature.

20 ( +33 / -13 )

The idiots in charge will try to foister another one of these banal circuses on the nation someday. Best to keep some form of awareness. 5 days to go...

10 ( +17 / -7 )

When their own local governments are calling it a “soft” state of emergency and public schools are doing overnight trips and camps, how can these people complain??

swimming pools are packing people unmasked together in tight spaces, there are mini events all over the country, park parties etc.

besides, COVID doesn’t affect Japanese people like it does foreigners, wasn’t that their stance over the past year?!?

0 ( +10 / -10 )

Agreed @kurisupisu 6:55am. Revisionist History currently being scripted by the media aided by the nationalistic & xenophobic we seeing posting within these threads daily;

@6:55am: “Err no, not with me it hasn’t- it’s still a wasteful overpriced debacle!

… responding to the erroneous and flawed fiction:

But since the opening ceremony, sentiment seems to have softened.”

-4 ( +6 / -10 )

Who still cares about that anymore?

Another 5 days and the first part of the Olympics is over.

According to Suga, the extension of the SOE is until end of August, and if my understanding is correct, he said it is the last time.

So when the Olympics and Para Olympics are over, and like Suga said millions and millions of the japanese population are also vaccinated end of August, nobody cares anymore if it was a good or a bad thing to hold the Olympics.

Olympics are done and people will stick back to their daily lives, without thinking about Olympics anymore.

I am just wondering which headlines will we see at the news after the Olympics...

-5 ( +13 / -18 )

And he is still smiling....but its almost over, after a week, he will start to watch those missed games anyway since he love sports.

Btw, Japan should hold on to No. 3 position and he will be happy.

-14 ( +7 / -21 )

So, a significant number of people are in favor of a ponderous event costing taxpayers 20-30 billion dollars that they are not allowed to attend amidst a surge of deadly covid infections? Just because some pieces of metal were acquired?

This argument is obviously disingenuous. If they had known about Covid in advance, I'm sure they wouldn't have bothered even applying. Under the circumstances I think they have done well. If the vaccines are so effective, as we are being told, I don't understand why vaccinated people weren't able to attend.

-2 ( +10 / -12 )

"I felt powerless and angry when I saw the fireworks at the National Stadium that told us the Games had started, despite opposition from 80 percent of the Japanese public."

Panem et Circenses

The scarcity mindset in Japan lets the public deal with declining standards of living as long as they have some minor comforts and security.

They lack that passionate dedication to their rights as sovereign individuals like you see in the French protests.

-6 ( +6 / -12 )

@Monty, Kentarogaijin and BackpackingNepal

She’ll be right, eh?

I think these people still have the right to express their opinions even if you regard their goal as futile.

They have the right to fight on.

21 ( +24 / -3 )

I decided to cut through the anti-Olympian bitterness and enjoy these games like never before.

Your decision as a sovereign individual. Other individuals like the man above should not be asked to contribute through their tax payments and reduced government attention to other matters (vaccination, care for the needy) to contribute to your enjoyment.

8 ( +16 / -8 )

I don't have a TV so it's quite simple to not watch "the games".

-2 ( +8 / -10 )

As per related news on yahoo japan (link below)

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/4e2f2e4de171dde47a1e9540203a954f6cb94da2

While govt focuses on olympics the number of people recovering at home from covid increases from about 9000 on 21 Jul three times to 30,000 by 31 Jul - within 10 days…

Is this the third largest economy in the world where 30,000 people across the nation cannot find hospital bed??

Is this the medical system collapse that experts have been warning all along & also these protesters wanting govt to focus more on corona front than these games?????

9 ( +14 / -5 )

Politicians say everything is going well, doctors and public health experts call the situation dire and the hospitals under excessive pressure even if the vulnerable population has been mostly vaccinated. In normal situations it would be natural to trust more the people fighting for the public health than those fighting for the profit of a few, but unfortunately people tend to believe things that makes them feel better, in this case that the disease stopped being dangerous, after all who could put forward an international celebration event if there was any chance of this making the pandemic go out of control, right?

"But whichever TV channel I turn on has them, so I'm kind of forced to watch."

That is one of the good points of having so many streaming services active in the country, having any two of them can let people see TV all day long if they want without seeing one second of any of the open channels.

6 ( +12 / -6 )

s this the third largest economy in the world where 30,000 people across the nation cannot find hospital bed??

The same would not go in hospitals in other countries. Japan’s policy to put everyone in an hospital does create this number, but the majority of patients do not need any treatment, just observation

-8 ( +3 / -11 )

@ joffy

fair point

I dont have that data but had posted another news yesterday where a man in his 50’s was give a run around for 8 hours in ambulance, 100 hospitals declined to have him and ultimately they found a hospital which was 50kms away from his residence…

I am sure even if a tiny fraction of these 30,000 recovering at home need hospitalization thats one too many I would guess

Also dont forget the risk this has on other non covid patients whose care is put on lower priority now….

6 ( +7 / -1 )

The move to invite the Olympics to Tokyo began before the earthquake in 2011 in Japan. They intended to change the old image of "taiiku" (athletics) to "sports" in Japan. Until then, "taiiku" did not include pro sports. They thought it was necessary to industriarize sports in Japan. In America and europe, sports are big businesses. They thought Inviting the Olympics to Tokyo again would become a good chance to realize their purpose. Along the line, "Kokutai" National Athletic Meet was changed to National Sports Festival and Japan Sports Agency was built newly in the government.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

These delusional people need to move on. 

a lot of people here too who should heed your advice

-5 ( +5 / -10 )

More than half of the city's residents watched the opening extravaganza on TV 

Yeah that press release by NHK was a great piece of propaganda.

54% of Kanto and compared it to the 64 Tokyo Olympics and 84 L.A. games.

But the Nagano winter Olympics which traditionally winter Olympics get far few viewers got 69% viewership.

If the summer games cannot do better than the winter Games that is really sad.

5 ( +9 / -4 )

JimizoToday 07:28 am JST

@Monty, Kentarogaijin and BackpackingNepal

She’ll be right, eh?

Strewth! You can't beat a good laugh to start the day.

I think these people still have the right to express their opinions even if you regard their goal as futile.

They have the right to fight on.

Their (!) selective support for the right to protest is confusing.

Both Dr. Masami Aoki, Executive Director of the Women's Medical Association of Japan and Kentaro Iwata, the infectious diseases expert are saying that the Tokyo medical system is broken and that the Olympics should be canceled forthwith.

How anyone can support this "rolling colonialism" that has cost us taxpayers in Tokyo $30bn during an out of control pandemic is beyond belief.

https://twitter.com/aokima33/status/1420743396818231297/photo/1

5 ( +11 / -6 )

I guess the one positive thing we can say is that, being in Japan, he is allowed to protest the games. In certain countries which will remain nameless, he'd probably be bundled into the back of a police van and subsequently shot.

Still, these games could in retrospect have a positive influence on Japan: they will demonstrate once and for all that the government is completely and utterly indifferent to its own people and is far more interested in presenting a pollyanna-ish picture of the country which some people will be stupid enough to believe.

Someone mentioned the elections coming up at the end of the year. I hope against hope that the olympics and covid situation will be factored into the decisions of the minute percentage of people who actually bother to cast a vote, but I suspect that by that time their outrage - if it was ever real - will have fallen away, and they will simply tick the same old box as always because it is too much effort to do anything that involves changing.

9 ( +12 / -3 )

LDP will still win the next election - whether they choose Suga to remain leader or not.

No credible opposition at present. WORST case scenario, Japan ends up with a toothless coalition that collapses within a year and the LDP propelled back to a full working majority.

This is always a problem in a country that a: has very low voter turnout and b: has some of the seats decided by proportional representation.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

@joffy

Tokyo gov own covid website says nearly 9,000 are waiting for "guidance/admission" for hospitalisation.

This number has more than doubled in a week.

Tokyo only has 5967 covid beds 3,231 are presently occupied.

Tokyo and Japan in general is making it difficult to get admitted as a Covid patient ( this designation means 100% paid by the government).

I personally know people that were hospitalised with covid for weeks but we're never able to get "official" approval into a Covid bed.

This is the reality and this smoke and mirrors/ shell game is all being done to maintain an "everything is under control" facade because of the Olympics.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Seems like protests aren’t working son……

Time to get real and start invading the city halls or wherever it is that the stooges, Koike, Suga, Muto or whoever work at.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

LDP will still win the next election - whether they choose Suga to remain leader or not.

They'd win if they chose Xi Jinping.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

In the next election, the LDP will take a big hit or even defeat. They have been defeated previously.

I hope you're right and fear you're wrong.

Had this been any other country but Japan (or a flat-out dictatorship), half the government's heads would be in baskets by now (mods: this is an allusion to the French revolution and not an incitement to violence, k?).

But...this is the land where political apathy reigns supreme.

Never remember where I saw it, but someone once came up with a perfect one-liner for this place: "The Japanese people are livid with apathy".

8 ( +10 / -2 )

While I disagree with the reason for protesting, I thank $(deity) that they can protest and aren't locked up or send away for "re-education" with their families being used to convince them to stop.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

dagonToday  07:20 am JST

They lack that passionate dedication to their rights as sovereign individuals like you see in the French protests.

Which is also a good thing.

"Thousands of people protested France's special virus pass with marches through Paris and other French cities on Saturday. Most demonstrations were peaceful, but sporadic clashes with riot police marked protests in the French capital."

https://japantoday.com/category/world/french-security-forces-brace-for-anti-health-pass-protests

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

They did @zichi - But to an opposition that at least had an appearance of something different. Right now - the opposition is comparable to Reagan vs Mondale / Thatcher vs Foot , or more recently Johnson vs Corbyn.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Completely agree with these people. Euro 2020 was held across countries ready to have fans in stadiums, Japan was not ready to host the Olympics.

I don’t begrudge the athletes their ‘moment’, what worries me is the cost of their glory. Tokyo went from 450 new cases per day pre olympics to over 4000 last week.

Instead of focusing on covid, the government took its eye off the ball and lost control of the pandemic, just to appease the ioc. A number of other countries in Europe could have stepped in to replace Japan.

We can only hope the lasting legacy of Tokyo 2020 is not a lingering covid continuing to interfere in all our lives..

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Hats off to the people carrying on the fight.

Every person here who is saying they are against the Olympics, but will watch it anyway because you may as well, that is why they continue to happen. Continuing to watch these awful events is exactly what has enabled the IOC to do and say whatever they want year after year, because they know people will consume it anyway. Who cares if this leads to thousands of deaths, the IOC gets theirs in the end. If you think that the games are worth the loss of life, carry on watching. If you are actually opposed to them, don't give the IOC exactly what they want.

The only thing that would make them take notice is a massive drop-off in viewership and, consequently, sponsorship money. The only way that happens is if people actively don't watch them. We have a strict no-Olympic coverage policy in our flat and it has been fantastic. I can only hope that the pandemic has made more people realise what a corrupt organization the IOC is.

2 ( +7 / -5 )

Problem is too many want to go out in groups to watch the games. Have thoroughly enjoyed watching numerous events (or parts of events) at home with a few beers. And the gorin.jp live channel has been great for watching events that aren't on TV in Japan.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Years after this covid crisis ends Japan will still be digging itself out from debt incurred by taking on this event.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

How sad that the members of your household who may wish to watch some Sport are denied by your 'strict no Olympic policy' - Imposed by yourself I guess.

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

@Xulux - They have a lot more than debt to worry about than that accrued from the Olympics. in relative terms its like a one yen coin floating in a puddle of very murky water.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Well, mate you can always join the JT crew and share your angry sentiments. Every celebration needs its counter de-celebration after all. It's the law of the universe. Everyone gets to choose a mindset that suits their character. In the meantime,

Ozzy ozzy ozzy! Killin it! As is Japan and all of the side stories rejuvenating the world and giving us a reminder of human potential and hope.

Who agrees now it's nice to have some other news stories not corona!~

Wait till 2032 when the games come down under, and one of the most transparent and forthright countries in the world reignites the Olympic spirit good and proper! Can't wait for that. You be the change you wanna see in the world right?

Hold my beer mate!

0 ( +4 / -4 )

LDP lose? Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it. I don't know what's worse - a one party state where nobody gets to vote, or a multi-party state where citizens vote in the same dictatorship everytime.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

AddfwynToday 09:29 am JST

Hats off to the people carrying on the fight.

The only thing that would make them take notice is a massive drop-off in viewership and, consequently, sponsorship money. The only way that happens is if people actively don't watch them. We have a strict no-Olympic coverage policy in our flat and it has been fantastic. I can only hope that the pandemic has made more people realise what a corrupt organization the IOC is.

Same here. My daughter led the Olympic TV boycott, which was a pleasant surprise. Mrs. Noakes backslid somewhat by watching skateboarding, BMX and surfing but as she said, "It's not really the Olympics, is it."

0 ( +6 / -6 )

Wait. After the Olympic orgy is over will come the big hangover: confusion and anger. Unlike the Olympics the the pandemic and the incompetence of the LDP will not go away. Suga and Koike will have a lot to answer for.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Don't give up. When the Olympics are over, keep reminding people of the insistence of Suga, Koike and the LDP to hold the Olympics. Don't let the public forget when they vote in the upcoming election. Vote them out. Please.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

Yes, it’s of course good that they are trying to do something, but in practice it doesn’t make sense. You can also fight against war, atomic bombs, hunger, climate change, illegal drugs, mafia, yakuza etc., but in fact you will never win. It’s useless, they are too big, too powerful etc. The best thing, although rather difficult, is to find a life without or ignoring most possible the disliked object, in this case not caring about or watching the games and also not risking money or health with such intense and activist like protesting. It’s just not worth both.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Just a few more days and the Olympics will end.

I advise the man to focus more energy on voting. A successful Olympics AND LDP being voted out of power would be a happy ending.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

I don't think there would ever be a day when olympics could be cancel anywhere in the world. Athletes train their whole lives to be famous and make something out of themselves. Especially if you get a medal, not only there are sponsorship, but you also receive a reward from the nation.

The japan committee only award around 3million yen for a gold medalist. Prize seem pretty low for someone who train their whole life to make history. While South Korea this year went on a spending spree. The Korea archer association usually award around 200million won to every gold medalist in individual events while the ministry of culture award 63million won for every gold medal. An San got around 225.2mill won for her achievement. Plus a pension of 1million won every month for the rest of her life. I kinda envy SK. They sure know how to throw cash at the athletes.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Hiro

Now it makes sense that the japanese athletes just give up at the important moments, they aren't even treated well.

And Japan wins two bronze in archery this year.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

@Iron Lad, is not that bad. Most other nation in the west are also similar with the award. SK is a exception because they are really proud of their archers.Hyundai Motor Group is backing them.

If Japanese athletes want bigger rewards, they would need big companies Toyota backing them. But it seems like this year many large companies in order to avoid being criticize has been backing away from the olympics.

I am still kinda sad Nintendo pull out. Apparently they had big plans but it all got canceled after the pandemic hit.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

He doesn't look angry.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

But since the opening ceremony, sentiment seems to have softened.

It's a matter of degree, and people remain critical or overtly protesting for yet various reasons. Some must worry about public health crisis while others are angry with special treatment or exemption guaranteed for the Olympics at the expense of ordinary people's life and livelihood. But I don't think that the majority of people will link great sport performance to political achievement boasted by the government officials. Payback time will come.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

This is just some bitter jaded artist trying to use a protest platform to promote his artwork.

Japan has pulled off hosting the Olympics during a pandemic. Not sure how many countries would be able to execute that. Japan should be proud.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Present Suga government of Japan depends main corona virus measures on people's patience or individual efforts, it is liable to be influenced with social atmosphere.

Besides, present Japan records many Covid-19 new cases as if some oversea countries unlike PM Suga's view that Japan's number of infected person is smaller than overseas.

in the shadow of Olympics, several tens thousands patients cannot even hospitalize at only four prefectures including Tokyo and are forced to maintain staying at home or hotel without medical assistance, such patients are increasing everyday.

Patients except Covid-19 cannot even use ICU at some hospitals at Tokyo.

And Olympics is using part of shortaged medical resource of Japan.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

It is essential to allow the right to protest even if the protesters are misguided and misinformed, such as in this case. Personally I’ve found the games to be terrific fun as it seems has the majority in Japan and the world.

0 ( +6 / -6 )

It is essential to allow the right to protest even if the protesters are misguided and misinformed, such as in this case. 

The protesters share their opinion with the best experts that deal with the pandemic both locally and internationally, that would mean the people that have the opposite opinion the ones much more likely to be misguided and misinformed, after all the people they are sharing their opinion are politicians and sports officials, neither of them using scientific objective data to base their declarations.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Virus

oh yeah. The experts who change their opinions days to day. The experts who claimed the games would be a super spreader, or the ones that claimed there would be hundred of thousands of Covid deaths in Japan.

The games are in progress, it’s going smoothly and the nation is uplifted. Frankly most of us have had enough of the fear mongering and are getting on with our lives.

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

Hiro

It makes sense.

So japanese athletes were fighting with their sheer will with next to no financial backing, congrats nonetheless. In comparison, chinese athletes are a matter of national importance for China.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Love the games though would be better with spectators. Can’t wait for the Paralympic to start and the next the Winter Olympics. Aussie Aussie Aussie ooh ooh ooh

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

It is essential to allow the right to protest even if the protesters are misguided and misinformed, such as in this case.

My objection to these Olympics started before Covid hit.

They wasted an incredible amount of cash on this before we’d even heard of a novel Coronavirus.

It then turned into a black hole.

I was surprised our more rightwing posters didn’t emphasize their natural inclination towards fiscal conservatism.

Maybe I’m old-fashioned in the sense of believing flushing money down the toilet isn’t a good idea.

Age, eh?

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Olympics have surprisingly being a success so far. Kai should join in enjoying the games. No point protesting them at this point.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Jimizo

In your opinion. The Olympics are a waste of money, to others they are money well spent, it’s all relative.

Time to stop arguing, the games are going well and won’t be stopped. Let’s unite and have a good time, that’s what the Olympic Spirit is all about

0 ( +6 / -6 )

This Olympics works as typical "bread and circus" at Japanese society. 

Many people are intoxicated with medals to Japan as if pandemic didn't exist, and present Japan's broadcasting media prioritize Olympics than reporting about many medical workers who continue to fight with Covid-19 everyday since last January or several tens thousands patients who cannot even hospitalize.

Continuing protest is important.

If protesters don't exist, someone begins to insist as if opposition is nowhere at society.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Hideomi Kuze

I agree with everything you said.

But there is one thing that sets us apart from other countries. In other countries, a demonstration in any form is an expression of dissent, a form of protest. And people see it as such, even though they may not agree with the demonstrators.

But here it is the case that the demonstrators are automatically taken for troublemakers, pariahs, unemployed, left-wing activists, etc. Even if someone agrees with your opinion, they automatically take you for a troublemaker and try to distance themselves from you in some way.

The continuation of the protests is important. But no one here is taking that into account. I mean, other than "they're making trouble again, they'd better go to work". Any criticism here is almost taken as an insult to the whole nation and usually ends with "so move elsewhere if you don't like it here". In the case of foreigners, who come from a different cultural background and where demonstrations are treated differently, locals take criticism as hatred of the entire Japanese nation and Japan, and straight up it's "so go back to where you came from".

1 ( +2 / -1 )

If it makes them happy.... for the protesters it is just feel-good virtue signaling at this time. Let them enjoy it.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

I am amused by a person saying because the Olympics is on every channel, that they are sort of forced to watch it. I have not watched an Olympics for well over fifty years. In fact I find TV so bad that I do not even have a TV set. Where I live here in the USA, you get forty minutes of advertising for every twenty minutes of show. Why waste my time even having a TV set.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Where I live here in the USA, you get forty minutes of advertising for every twenty minutes of show. Why waste my time even having a TV set.

Not true. Plus, if you haven't watched TV in 50 yrs, how would you know about commercials? In an hour show, 18-22 minutes are commercials. There are tools to skip the commercials for anyone who records the shows using DVRs. That has been available for over 15 yrs and automated for 10. 30-second skip buttons are pretty easy too.

I'm a cord-cutter. That's slang for no paid TV service. No TVs here, but we do have some networked TV tuners connected to antennas in the attic. I haven't looked recently, but about 90 channels are picked up. Think we watch about 10 channels total. Almost any computing device can access the tuner to watch or record a show.

These computer thingys are sorta amazing.

In the US, NBC has the broadcast rights for the Olympics and they've failed to make it easy to watch or even figure out which channel any specific match/event is on. I find it easier to use a VPN and behave like I'm in a different country where the broadcasting is much easier to access. They have all the replays, full events, without any commercials too. Much easier than NBC.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Sadly these will be remembered as the Olympic Games that were "not" really the Olympic Games. The games are really just a "distraction" from the "China Virus" and world governments failure to protect their citizens. I still cannot look at a Chinese or Russian athletes win without questioning whether there is "substance" assistance !!! The Games should never have taken place.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I hope that they will continue protesting even after the Olympic games will be over. It could be a nice tourist attraction.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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