Japan(Tokyo) Japan More than 450,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the cancellation of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics to protect people’s lives.
The petition was launched in May by lawyer Utsunomiya Kenji, a former head of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations.
Utsunomiya held a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday after submitting the signatures to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko is one of the people the petition is addressed to.
Utsunomiya said now is the time for a brave decision to be made to cancel the Tokyo Games.
He said the Tokyo Games were originally supposed to showcase Japan’s recovery from the 2011 disasters and global victory over the coronavirus. But he says he thinks this intention no longer makes sense.
He said the organizers are trying to go ahead with the event without clarifying the meaning of holding the Games now.
Utsunomiya asked whether it is appropriate to host the Games when Tokyo is under a coronavirus state of emergency. He said if the infection situation worsens during the Games, medical institutions could be overwhelmed and be unable to save lives that could have been saved.
A separate online petition to support holding the Tokyo Games by taking adequate anti-infection measures has drawn more than 100,000 signatures.
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