More than Half of Tokyo Voters Support 'No-Audience Olympics'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as the Tokyo Olympics are scheduled to be held with limited domestic spectator attendance allowed, it has been revealed that the majority of voters in the host city, Tokyo, prefer the games to be held without spectators.

According to a telephone survey conducted by Asahi Shimbun on the 26th and 27th targeting 804 voters (valid respondents) ahead of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election scheduled for the 4th of next month, 38% responded that the Olympics should be held this summer. Meanwhile, 27% and 33% advocated for postponement and cancellation, respectively.

Although the opening ceremony is approaching on the 23rd of next month, a significantly larger number of people in Tokyo still support postponement or cancellation.

Regarding the format of the games if held, 64% preferred no spectators, while only 30% supported the policy of allowing limited spectator attendance.

When asked whether they would consider the stance of Olympic-related candidates when choosing whom to vote for in the metropolitan assembly election, 53% answered that they would "not place much importance," which was higher than the 39% who said they would "place importance."

The negative sentiment among Tokyo voters toward holding the Tokyo Olympics with spectators, due to concerns about spreading COVID-19, was similarly confirmed in surveys by other media outlets.

According to a telephone survey by Nihon Keizai Shimbun conducted from the 25th to 27th targeting 1,007 Tokyo voters, only 26% responded that holding the Olympics with limited spectators was "appropriate," including 4% who supported a "normal holding" of the games.

A majority of 37% advocated for postponement or cancellation, and 33% said that holding the games without spectators was desirable.

In a survey conducted by Yomiuri Shimbun during the same period targeting 936 Tokyo voters, 57% evaluated the policy of holding the games with spectators negatively, while only 35% thought it was good to have spectators in the stadiums.

In an internet opinion poll conducted on the 26th by Mainichi Shimbun together with TBS Broadcasting and others targeting 21,000 Tokyo voters, a majority of 58% opposed "holding the Olympics as planned," while only 30% supported it.

Mainichi reported that in this survey, the approval rating of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s cabinet was 25% (disapproval rate 59%), and among supporters of the Suga cabinet, those who supported holding the Olympics (66%) greatly outnumbered those opposed (26%).

Meanwhile, in this month’s survey by Nihon Keizai, the Suga cabinet’s approval rating was recorded at 43% (disapproval rate 50%), which is a 3 percentage point increase compared to May.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.