View from Japan: Why Japan must support the Tokyo Olympics
Editor’s note: this analysis was originally published by the Japan Institute for National Fundamentals and is reposted here with its permission.
Calls are growing in Japan for cancelling the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics for four major reasons: (1) novel coronavirus infections may expand with the visit of many foreign athletes and other participators; (2) Japanese medical doctors mobilized for the Olympics and Paralympics may jeopardize Japan’s healthcare system; (3) huge spending planned for the Olympics should be redirected for the Japanese people and (4) the Olympics have lost significance as the state of emergency declaration has seriously affected people’s lives.
Nearly Perfect Safety Measures
As for the first reason, as many as 430 international sports events took place around the world in the past year, with 54,000 athletes participating. All these events ended safely. Learning from these events, Japan has further toughened safety measures for the Tokyo Olympics. Foreign athletes and other visitors to Japan for the Olympics and Paralympics will be required to undergo virus tests two times in four days before their departure to Japan and submit virus negative certificates at departure airports. They will also be required to undergo virus tests upon their arrival in Japan and on three consecutive days after the arrival. They will be kept in isolation for the first three days.
Special cars and buses will be provided for their travel from airports to dormitories or hotels and to training and competition sites. They will be barred from using public transportation systems. Their exclusive moving lines will be prepared to avoid their contacts with the local people. Deportation is being considered for those failing to comply with these requirements. I believe these measures will be fairly secure.
Regarding the possible impacts on domestic healthcare system, foreign National Olympic Committees have decided to increase accompanying medical experts to reduce Japan’s healthcare burden. Potential visitors to Japan for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will be reduced from 180,000 to 78,000, with 80% undergoing vaccination before their arrival. If athletes or other participators are found infected with novel coronavirus, sports doctors will take care of them without imposing any burden on Japan’s domestic healthcare system.
As for the third point, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has been making aggressive efforts to protect the Japanese people, irrespective of some question about budget allocation. Currently, medical doctors are paid 2,070 yen ($18.86) per vaccine shot. The payment rises to 2,800 yen for overtime hours and to 4,200 yen on holidays. In view of slow progress in vaccination, the government has decided to raise the payment up to as much as 7,200 yen ($65.60) with some conditions.
The payment hike has reportedly led hesitant medical doctors to become positive towards the vaccination effort. I question if it is right to pursue a such a money-driven policy. The morals of Japanese medical associations and doctors are at stake. I strongly feel that something is wrong.
Demonstrate Japan’s Real Power to the World
Clearly, the pandemic has seriously affected certain industries and many individuals. I understand why people are asking for further attention from the government. Under this national crisis, however, cooperative efforts of Japan’s government and people to host the Olympics and Paralympics are an important national achievement. The Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics represent an opportunity to demonstrate to the world Japan’s ability to host these games despite the extraordinary challenges and costs posed by the pandemic, something many other nations might not have been able to achieve. Hosting the Olympics also will lead the Japanese to restore real power that we have forgotten. I remember an inspirational remark by visually impaired Paralympic swimmer Keiichi Kimura:
“Efforts to host the Olympics and Paralympics lead to efforts to restore our society. The efforts may be equal to those to contain the virus. Our efforts should represent an endeavor to move our society to a better direction.”
Yoshiko Sakurai is President of the Japan Institute for National Fundamentals and a freelance journalist.
