During a press conference earlier today, Japan's Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Manabu Sakai denied the British newspaper The Times report, which claimed that the Japanese government had "privately concluded" that it could no longer hold the Games. Tokyo Olympics at its opening scheduled for this year, and they now had a goal of winning the tender by 2032.
Sakai added: "Of course we have to take into account the situation abroad, and we will decide whether to actually hold the event at some point in the future, but until then, the Japanese government will do whatever it takes." On the other hand, The Time newspaper cited an alleged "high-ranking member of the ruling coalition" in its report published on January 21, mentioning that the government is trying to find a way to make the announcement that does not prevent the possibility of hosting the Olympics at a later date.
Furthermore, the Tokyo Olympic Games were originally scheduled to take place during the period from July 24 to August 9, 2020, followed by the Paralympic Games from August 25 to September 6. The event was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and they are currently rescheduled for the periods of July 23 to August 8, 2021 and August 24 to September 5, 2021, respectively. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Tokyo Olympic Games Organizing Committee and the Government of Japan approved the new schedule.
It is worth mentioning that the president of the Organizing Committee of the Tokyo Olympics, Yoshirou Mori, previously stated that the event "would be scrapped" if it could not be held in 2021. Finally, a survey conducted by the Japanese newspaper Kyodo News revealed that earlier this month that 80% of Japanese surveyed agree to cancel the event.
Sources: The Mainichi, The Times via Hachima Kikō
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