Leading Abe Successor Raises Doubts About New Olympics Date
- Shigeru Ishiba warns virus may not be under control by 2021
- Ishiba says ‘stocks are not the whole economy’ of Japan
A pedestrian walks past the Olympics rings at the Japan Olympic Museum located in front of the main stadium of the upcoming Olympics in Tokyo, on March 24.
Photographer: Noriko Hayashi/BloombergThe lawmaker leading polls to be Japan’s next prime minister cast doubt on plans to hold the delayed Olympics next year, citing uncertainty over the coronavirus that he said would also affect his own political future.
Shigeru Ishiba, a former defense minister who’s favored by the public to replace long-serving Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, said whether he runs for leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party next year depends on the virus and whether the Olympics can be held. The premier and the International Olympic Committee made the unprecedented decision Monday to postpone the Games until July 2021 -- two months before Abe’s term as LDP leader ends.