80% of Tokyo Residents Feel Uneasy About Hosting the Olympics with Spectators

Tokyo Shimbun Poll... Public Opinion for Olympic Cancellation Declines

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] The majority of residents in Tokyo, Japan, the host city of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, expressed anxiety about allowing spectators into the Olympic venues due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19.

According to a telephone survey conducted by the Tokyo Shimbun on June 26-27 among 1,007 Tokyo voters and reported on the 29th, 79.8% felt uneasy about holding the games with spectators. Only 12.2% responded that they were not anxious.

Earlier, on the 21st, the Japanese government, the organizing committee, and Tokyo Metropolitan Government held a five-party meeting with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), agreeing to allow domestic spectators up to 10,000 per venue, within 50% of the venue capacity.

In response to this decision, 80% of Tokyo voters reported feeling anxious.

However, as the Olympic opening approaches, voices calling for cancellation have decreased.

In this survey, the percentage of respondents who said the Olympics should be canceled was 42.4%, down 17.8 percentage points from the previous month's survey (60.2%).

The proportion of those who said the games should be held with limited spectators increased from 17.3% to 23.8%, and those who said the games should be held without spectators rose from 11.0% to 25.3%.

Although the cancellation sentiment weakened over the past month, the increase in support for holding the games with limited spectators appears to reflect a growing realism that the event is inevitable as it draws near.

Meanwhile, regarding Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide’s statement that thorough quarantine measures will be implemented to ensure a safe and secure event, 65.2% of respondents said they "cannot be convinced."

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