Olympics-Japan former PM Abe to miss Games opening ceremony -NHK (updated)
22/07/2021 02:20
(Updates with background, detail)
TOKYO, July 22 (Reuters) - Japan's former Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe, who memorably dressed up as video game character
Super Mario to promote the Tokyo Olympics in Rio, will not
attend the Olympics opening ceremony, public broadcaster NHK
reported.
Abe played a outsized role in attracting the Olympics to
Tokyo, pledging in front of a banquet room full of International
Olympic Committee members in 2013 that the lingering nuclear
disaster at Fukushima was "under control" and pitching his
nation as a "passionate, proud, and a strong believer" in the
Olympics. He stepped down from office last year due to health
reasons, and his replacement as prime minister, Yoshihide Suga,
is expected to attend.
Still, the opening ceremony scheduled for Friday is set to
be a subdued https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/tokyo-opening-ceremony-will-be-sobering-show-not-flashy-2021-07-21
affair, with Japanese media reporting that less than 950 people
- mostly dignitaries, including less than 20 global leaders -
are set to attend.
The opening ceremony usually stands as a major showcase of
the host nation, but with surging COVID-19 cases in and around
Tokyo, organisers have ruled out spectators at most Olympic
events.
NHK said Abe decided against attending the ceremony after
the Japanese government declared a state of emergency and virus
restrictions over Tokyo, in an effort to minimise health risks
among residents and visitors.
COVID-19 infections have jumped in the capital and are
projected to spike further, straining health providers.
Japanese people, only a third of whom have had at least one
dose of the vaccine, have been concerned the Olympics could
become a super-spreader event.
In a recent poll in the Asahi newspaper, 68% of respondents
expressed doubt about the ability of Olympic organisers to
control coronavirus infections, with 55% saying they opposed the
Games going ahead.
(Reporting by Mari Saito; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
((Mari.Saito@thomsonreuters.com;))