, Columnist
Dear Japan, the Olympics Are a Bureaucracy, Not a Democracy
A majority of Japanese don’t want the Games. But the decision rests in the hands of 100 chosen sports ambassadors.
The National Stadium in Tokyo
Photographer: PHILIP FONG/AFPThis article is for subscribers only.
Everybody loves the Olympic Games. Except when you’re the host nation in the middle of a pandemic.
Unfortunately for Japan’s government, it’s not really up to them to decide whether the Games of the 32nd Olympiad get cancelled. While Tokyo could theoretically pull the plug right now — two months from the rescheduled start date — the city is contractually obliged to go ahead. With Covid-19 cases once again surging, parts of the nation (including Tokyo) under a state of emergency and vaccine rates in the single digits, it’s unsurprising that 59% of Japanese say the event should be cancelled.