Tokyo Olympics: Tokyo medical group calls for Olympic cancellation
Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike are apt at ignoring the ongoing coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis in 2021 concerning the Olympics. Thus calls to cancel or postpone the Olympics and Paralympics are being ignored. Therefore, despite the concerns of the Tokyo Medical Practitioners Association (TMPA), the usual mantra is sprouted by Suga and Koike of being able to provide a safe environment for the Olympics.
Suga and Koike know full well that deaths from coronavirus have increased in the last six months in Japan. Similarly, they know that the Olympics and Paralympics are unpopular at home. However, nothing seems to perturb them from ignoring the concerns of ordinary people, dissenting political voices, the medical profession, and so forth.
Kanako Mita says, “The TMPA represents 6,000 health care workers across a broad spectrum. From hospitals to primary care doctors that understand the severity – and longevity – of the coronavirus crisis in Japan. Likewise, the TMPA understands medical shortages and the impact of coronavirus on other illnesses.”
Voice of America reports, “A public opinion poll published Monday by Asahi Shimbun newspaper revealed more than 80% of Japanese are opposed to the games, with 43% wanting them canceled and another 40% calling for them to be postponed again.”
The TMPA notified Suga that the medical profession “have their hands full and have almost no spare capacity.”
Yet the usual mantra of Suga and Koike is that they can provide a safe environment for the Olympics. However, many parts of Japan – including Tokyo – are still under the State of Emergency. Similarly, with people dying at home recently in Osaka and the prefecture of Hyogo because of hospital and medical shortages, it is callous to take medical workers away to cater for an unpopular Olympics.
Likewise, healthy athletes are being vaccinated before vulnerable groups who face death from coronavirus at a higher rate. Therefore, where is the morality in the stance of Suga and Koike?
https://www.voanews.com/covid-19-pandemic/japanese-medical-group-calls-cancellation-tokyo-olympics
https://stopcovid19.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/ – Tokyo Metropolitan Government website for updates about the coronavirus crisis in Tokyo.
https://toyokeizai.net/sp/visual/tko/covid19/en.html – Japan and Tokyo Covid-19 news with more analysis
https://covid19japan.com/ – Japan regional coronavirus statistics
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ World coronavirus statistics
PLEASE DONATE TO HELP MODERN TOKYO TIMES
Modern Tokyo News is part of the Modern Tokyo Times group
DONATIONS to SUPPORT MODERN TOKYO TIMES – please pay PayPal and DONATE to sawakoart@gmail.com
http://moderntokyotimes.com Modern Tokyo Times – International News and Japan News
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/moderntokyotimes/ Modern Tokyo Times is now on PINTEREST
http://sawakoart.com – Sawako Utsumi personal website and Modern Tokyo Times artist
https://moderntokyonews.com Modern Tokyo News – Tokyo News and International News
PLEASE JOIN ON TWITTER
https://twitter.com/MTT_News Modern Tokyo Times
PLEASE JOIN ON FACEBOOK