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2021 June 2 - 8 TOP3 [POLITICS]

Koganei City Assembly in Tokyo: Summer Games should be cancelled

The Koganei City Assembly in Tokyo on June 3 adopted a statement demanding the cancellation of the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games by the majority vote of assemblypersons, including Japanese Communist Party members. The Liberal Democratic and Komei parties voted against the statement.

The statement stresses that amid the pandemic and the global spread of variants, the national and Tokyo governments should devote their attention to preventing the collapse of healthcare systems both at the national and local levels, achieving an early completion of vaccinations to those who want to receive them, and relieving individuals and business owners of their financial difficulties caused by the pandemic.

The statement criticizes the central and Tokyo governments’ stance of rushing headlong into opening the Games despite Japan’s slow vaccine roll-out. The statement points out that the government stance not only disregards people’s lives but also runs counter to the Olympic spirit. It demands that the national and Tokyo governments decide to cancel the Games without delay.

Secretary General of the JCP Koganei City assemblymembers’ group Morito Yoko said, “In Koganei City, there is also increasing public criticism against the holding of the Games. For example, more and more parents have voiced their objections to the mobilization of schoolchildren to fill Olympic venues. So, we proposed the statement jointly with independent assemblypersons because one of the city assembly’s roles is to take action to make citizens’ voices heard in the Diet.”

Past related article:
> Tokyo organizers intend to force schoolchildren to attend the Summer Games without protection against COVID-19 [May 2, 2021]