Japan set to expand virus emergency
Updated / Friday, 14 May 2021
09:00
The widening emergency comes with public opinion firmly opposed to holding the Games this summer
Japan s government is expected to widen a virus state of emergency, just 10 weeks before the Tokyo Olympics, as campaigners submitted a petition with more than 350,000 signatures urging the Games be scrapped.
With Tokyo and other areas already under emergency orders until the end of May, three more regions - including northern Hokkaido, which will host the Olympic marathon - are set to join them.
The widening emergency, aimed at combating a fourth wave which is putting Japan s medical system under strain, comes with public opinion firmly opposed to holding the Games this summer, fearing further infections.
Japan is suffering fourth wave of Covid pushing case totals to near-record levels
Tokyo is already under restrictions, which are being extended to other regions
Despite that, government is still pushing ahead with plans to host the Olympics
350,000 have now signed petition saying games should be called off, with polls showing public opinion is firmly against events going ahead
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Japan expands COVID-19 emergency as 350,000 sign petition to cancel Tokyo Olympics
A man wearing a protective mask to help curb the spread of the coronavirus walks in the rain past a banner of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Thursday, May 13, 2021, in Tokyo. The Japanese capital confirmed more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases on Thursday. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
14 May 2021 10:31PM (Updated:
14 May 2021 10:40PM) Share this content
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TOKYO: Japan expanded a coronavirus state of emergency Friday (May 14), just 10 weeks before the Olympics, as campaigners submitted a petition with more than 350,000 signatures calling for the Games to be scrapped.
Published May 14, 2021, 3:42 PM
Kenji Utsunomiya, a Japanese lawyer and former Tokyo gubernatorial candidate, poses with a campaign slogan Stop Tokyo Olympics, after handing the petitions to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in Tokyo on May 14, 2021. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP)
Japan’s government is expected to widen a virus state of emergency Friday, just 10 weeks before the Tokyo Olympics, as campaigners submitted a petition with more than 350,000 signatures urging the Games be scrapped.
With Tokyo and other areas already under emergency orders until the end of May, three more regions including northern Hokkaido, which will host the Olympic marathon are set to join them.