Kevin Reilly
- According to a Kyodo News report, a senior Japanese official said cancelling the Olympics was still "an option."
- Japan is now less than 100 days away from the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Games on July 23.
- Tokyo saw a spike in infections on Wednesday when it confirmed another 591 COVID cases.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Tokyo might be less than 100 days away from the opening ceremony of the Olympics, but calling it off is still an option, said a senior Japanese official on Thursday.
Speaking in a televised interview with Kyodo News, Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said: "If rising coronavirus cases means 'this is impossible', we would have to give up."
Nikai's comments came in the wake of a troubling rise in COVID cases in the Tokyo area on Wednesday.
According to Kyodo News, Tokyo confirmed 591 COVID cases, the highest number the city saw since the government lifted its second COVID state of emergency on March 21. Separately, Japan reported more than 4,000 cases yesterday, its first massive spike since January 28, as health authorities contend with more contagious variants of the virus that are spreading across the country.
The surge in virus infections has fuelled further skepticism on whether the games should be held this summer, following the cancellation of the Olympic torch relay in Osaka. The Olympic flame was initially meant to pass through the prefecture on Tuesday and Wednesday, but these plans were canned to keep COVID cases low.
Local news network Mainichi reported that Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike vowed to keep COVID under control in the Japanese capital, to ensure that the Olympics can take place safely. Koike added that the quasi-state of emergency that Japan is currently under until May 11 will be a "crucial period" in the "battle against COVID," before the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Games takes place on July 23.
Calls for the Olympics to be canceled are not new, as a Kyodo report this week noted that 39.2% of over 500 people surveyed said that the Japanese government should consider canceling the Olympics and Paralympics - which have already been postponed for a year. Another 32.8% said that the games should be re-scheduled, while 24.5% thought the games should go on as planned.