Over 100 million infection cases have been confirmed as positive of the Covid-19 in the entire world. Every country faces so critical a moment that people cannot afford to think over the Olympics to be held in Tokyo this summer. Inside Japan over 80% of people want to cancel or extend the Games once again and majority of people in the rest of world community, too, think similarly.
IT IS ABOUT TIME TO CANCEL HOSTING OLYMPICS
The viral disaster is not yet conquered in many countries, including Japan. An emergency declaration is issued here again at the moment. Increasingly graver and more pressing hardships are reported on the situation in the medical institutions of the world: even Germany where the healthcare system is well-prepared faces its possible collapse as in Japan.
Confusion prevails in the sports circle
Infections spread among athletes, too, and many of international races and matches have been suspended, triggering confusions.
Many of the countries in the world impose rigorous restrictions on foreigners’ entries from abroad and the national boundaries are put now under de facto lockdown. The Olympics and Paralympics are not actually kept in mind of peoples. It is natural that their voices go towards cancellation both inside and outside of Japan.
The New Socialist Party has been opposing hosting the Games in Tokyo scheduled in 2020. It is because of the facts that good recovery has not yet been made from the 2011 Earthquakes which hit the eastern region, compensation policies to those affected have not been implemented sufficiently, and the aftermaths of nuclear plants accident have not yet been completed. The then-Abe government, however, made a decision to host the Olympics, rejecting many opposing voices that were heard.
Again now, the government led by Premier Suga Yoshihide insisted in the press meeting January 7, saying: people’s consent will be won in favor of hosting the Games as effects of vaccines are proven. On the contrary, however, people here suffer from adversities of the pandemic, which Premier once again defies.
On January 12 the Organizing Committee of the Tokyo Olympics protested, accusing them as ‘fake’ to some media reports which said about the possibility of cancellation.
Last December in the midst of the rapid expansion of the infection, the government announced an additional amount of budget to cope with the postponed Games, which accounts approximately 300 billion Yen. The sum comes to count in total over 3 trillion Yen, if expenditure necessary to summer heat measures and other relevant costs are included. The figure is the biggest in the history of summer Olympic Games.
At the time when the government decided to host the event, an estimated budget was 734 billion Yen in total. The then-Governor of Tokyo Inose Naoki told that it would be most money-saving in the world.
What we must not forget
Concerning abandonment, that will be extremely harsh to athletes. But we must not forget a fact that many mothers with children are far from sports, living with fear without knowing how to live on tomorrow.
The budget on the sports event has exceeded 3 trillion Yen when we are unaware of that: by way of this amount of tax money the government could have saved and helped healthcare personnel who have been working hard to treat patients in the hospitals, those who had committed a suicide, those who have lost a job to be poor and those students who cannot pay tuition fees.
The government should make an immediate decision to give up hosting the Olympic Games.
日本をはじめ、多くの国々で新型コロナ感染拡大に歯止めがかかっていない。日本では、緊急事態宣言が再び発令された。世界では医療体制の困難も急増しており、日本でも、集中医療体制が整ったドイツでさえも、医療崩壊の危機に瀕している。
スポーツ界も混乱
スポーツ界でも感染が急増し、国際大会が中止に追い込まれ混乱している。
多くの国々は海外からの厳しい入国規制を敷き、国境線は事実上ロックダウンの状態にある。どこの国もオリ・パラどころではないのが実態だ。中止論が国内外で高まっているが、当然だ。
新社会党は、２０年の東京オリンピックの招致に反対してきた。１１年の東日本大震災から、復興も、被災者救済も、原発事故処理もまだ途上にあるからだ。しかし、当時の安倍晋三首相は、多くの反対の声を振り切って東京五輪を招致した。
今また、コロナ禍で苦境に立つ国民や、中止の世論に背を向け、菅義偉首相は１月７日の記者会見で「ワクチンの効果が出ることで東京五輪開催に対する国民の理解が得られる」と強弁した。
また同１２日、東京オリンピック組織委員会が、一部マスコミの中止可能性の報道に「フェイク」と噛みつく有り様だ。
日本国内で感染が急拡大する中で昨年1２月、東京五輪の延期に伴う予算、約三千億円が追加増額された。暑さ対策など諸々の関連費用を含めると、夏季大会史上最高額の３兆円以上になる。
東京五輪の開催経費は、招致時の計画で総額７３４０億円だった。当時の猪瀬直樹東京都知事は、「世界一カネのかからない五輪になる」と言っていた。
忘れてならぬこと
東京大会の中止に関しては、選手たちには大変気の毒だが、スポーツどころか、明日の生活の不安に苛まれている母子たちも多いことを忘れてはならない。
いつの間にか総額３兆円超に達した東京五輪費用、これだけの費用があれば、ひっ迫する医療現場で必死に頑張っている人々、さらにはコロナ禍で自死者が増える中、仕事を失うなどした生活困窮者や学費が払えない学生などへの支援に充てることができたはずだ。
直ちに五輪中止を決断すべきである。
英訳版↓
No. 1197 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics
Over 100 million infection cases have been confirmed as positive of the Covid-19 in the entire world. Every country faces so critical a moment that people cannot afford to think over the Olympics to be held in Tokyo this summer. Inside Japan over 80% of people want to cancel or extend the Games once again and majority of people in the rest of world community, too, think similarly.
IT IS ABOUT TIME TO CANCEL HOSTING OLYMPICS
The viral disaster is not yet conquered in many countries, including Japan. An emergency declaration is issued here again at the moment. Increasingly graver and more pressing hardships are reported on the situation in the medical institutions of the world: even Germany where the healthcare system is well-prepared faces its possible collapse as in Japan.
Confusion prevails in the sports circle
Infections spread among athletes, too, and many of international races and matches have been suspended, triggering confusions.
Many of the countries in the world impose rigorous restrictions on foreigners’ entries from abroad and the national boundaries are put now under de facto lockdown. The Olympics and Paralympics are not actually kept in mind of peoples. It is natural that their voices go towards cancellation both inside and outside of Japan.
The New Socialist Party has been opposing hosting the Games in Tokyo scheduled in 2020. It is because of the facts that good recovery has not yet been made from the 2011 Earthquakes which hit the eastern region, compensation policies to those affected have not been implemented sufficiently, and the aftermaths of nuclear plants accident have not yet been completed. The then-Abe government, however, made a decision to host the Olympics, rejecting many opposing voices that were heard.
Again now, the government led by Premier Suga Yoshihide insisted in the press meeting January 7, saying: people’s consent will be won in favor of hosting the Games as effects of vaccines are proven. On the contrary, however, people here suffer from adversities of the pandemic, which Premier once again defies.
On January 12 the Organizing Committee of the Tokyo Olympics protested, accusing them as ‘fake’ to some media reports which said about the possibility of cancellation.
Last December in the midst of the rapid expansion of the infection, the government announced an additional amount of budget to cope with the postponed Games, which accounts approximately 300 billion Yen. The sum comes to count in total over 3 trillion Yen, if expenditure necessary to summer heat measures and other relevant costs are included. The figure is the biggest in the history of summer Olympic Games.
At the time when the government decided to host the event, an estimated budget was 734 billion Yen in total. The then-Governor of Tokyo Inose Naoki told that it would be most money-saving in the world.
What we must not forget
Concerning abandonment, that will be extremely harsh to athletes. But we must not forget a fact that many mothers with children are far from sports, living with fear without knowing how to live on tomorrow.
The budget on the sports event has exceeded 3 trillion Yen when we are unaware of that: by way of this amount of tax money the government could have saved and helped healthcare personnel who have been working hard to treat patients in the hospitals, those who had committed a suicide, those who have lost a job to be poor and those students who cannot pay tuition fees.
The government should make an immediate decision to give up hosting the Olympic Games.
February 9, 2021