Recently, Japan’s coronavirus pandemic is still spreading, the rate of virus infection increased. With less than three months to go until the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, the Japanese government is still insisting on hosting the Games. In response, the Tokyo Physicians Association, made up of 6,000 doctors, called for the cancellation of the upcoming Tokyo Olympics in July, citing concerns that the health care system was overburdened.
“We strongly urge the (Japanese) government to convince the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that it will be difficult to host the Games and to get permission to cancel the Games,” the association said in an open letter to Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Thursday, Reuters reported on May 18. ”
The association also said: “Hospitals are now too busy dealing with the coronavirus alone, with little spare capacity (to deal with other things).” ”
Japanese fear that hosting the Olympics will crowd out medical resources that are already inadequate. In response, the Physicians Association said summer is approaching and hospitals will increase the burden on patients with heat exhaustion who are treated for heat stroke. If the Olympics lead to an increase in the number of deaths in Japan, “Japan itself will bear the greatest responsibility,” the association said.
Other health experts and medical groups have also expressed concern about whether Japan should host the Olympics. Hundreds of thousands of people have signed an online petition calling for the Tokyo Olympics to be cancelled.
The recent rise in new infection rates in Japan has sparked panic, particularly in parts of Tokyo, where hospitals are understaffed and hospital beds are short. As a result, the Government of Japan announced that the state of emergency in Tokyo and the remaining eight prefectures would be extended further until 31 May.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday that the Tokyo Olympics will be held in a “safe and secure” manner and will not put further pressure on existing medical services,
He also responded to public concerns about medical resources: “The Tokyo Organizing Committee is coordinating to ensure the necessary medical resources for the Games without affecting local medical services.” ”
However, according to a poll released by Japan’s Kyodo news agency on the 16th, 59.7 percent of respondents want to cancel the Tokyo Olympics. The Asahi Shimbun poll released on the 17th also showed that nearly 83% of respondents opposed the Tokyo Olympics as scheduled.
Currently, the outbreak in Japan has not experienced outbreaks. However, the Japanese government has been heavily criticised for being too slow in the vaccination process. It is reported that only about 3.5% of Japan’s nearly 126 million people are vaccinated against the coronavirus.
