Japan’s Prime Minister Turns Vague on Timing of Tokyo Olympics
- Prime minister no longer says it will be held ‘as planned’
- Sports events around the globe called off due to virus
The Tokyo Dome City Attractions entertainment complex, temporary closed due to the coronavirus, in Tokyo, March 15.
Photographer: Toru Hanai/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has begun to shift his messaging on the Tokyo Olympics, in a sign he may have accepted that the deadly coronavirus will make it necessary to postpone the event planned to start in July.
Abe and his cabinet, as well as the organizers and Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, had until days ago been unanimous in insisting the Games would be staged as scheduled. But, following a G-7 leaders’ video conference on the coronavirus Monday, Abe avoided comment on the timing of the event.