President Joe Biden has reaffirmed his support for Tokyo Olympics at a meeting on Saturday. The meeting took place between Biden and the Japanese Prime Minister, Yoshihide Suga. Both sides highlighted the need to impose public health measures to ensure safety of those involved.
Last year, the government postponed the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Currently, the Olympic Games are scheduled to begin on July 23. However, this decision to go ahead has been faced with scrutiny by the majority of the Japanese public.
“President Biden affirmed his support for the Tokyo Olympic Games moving forward with all public health measures necessary to protect athletes, staff and spectators,” the White House said in a statement. “President Biden expressed pride in the U.S. athletes who have trained for the Tokyo Games and will be competing in the best traditions of the Olympic spirit”.
Tokyo has recently battled a fourth wave of coronavirus and declared a state of emergency. However, the Japanese Government and the Olympics organisers have still decided to go ahead. “We will take all precautions against infections in carrying out a safe and secure,” said Suga at the Group of Seven summit.
British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has also shown his support for the Tokyo Olympics this year. He welcomed the efforts to ensure the games can take place safely for everyone involved. The Japanese government is hoping that the rest of the G7 will support their decision following the three-day summit. The G7 consists of Japan, the U.S., the E.U., Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Canada.
Unfortunately for the Japanese government, the Japanese public still have serious concerns about the decision. Many are arguing that the games should be postponed due to the number of athletes and spectators it will bring in to the country, adding to Japan’s risk of coronavirus infections increasing.
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