US president Joe Biden may not be visiting Japan for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, reported a regional newspaper on Sunday. According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, it is likely that the US president’s wife, First lady Jill Biden, will be making the trip on her own. Japan is looking forward to hosting her for the opening ceremony on July 23 and a possible meeting with prime minister Yoshihide Suga afterward, the newspaper added, without specifying its sources.
Notably, US president Joe Biden has oft confirmed his support for Japanese prime minister Suga in holding the 2020 Tokyo Olympics this year, despite the threat of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic looming in the air. Japan is the United States’ major ally in Asia, and it seems like Biden intends relations to remain cordial, with an eye on furthering diplomacies in the Korean peninsula.
The 2020 Summer Olympics is scheduled to be held from July 23 to August 8 later this year, the reason behind the delayed date being Covid-19 related restrictions last time. It was originally slated to take place from July 24 to August 9 in 2020.
Although Japan has said that the multi-sport event will not allow spectators, there are persistent worries among medical experts and public health professionals that holding the Tokyo Olympics could once again trigger a fresh wave of infections in the East Asian island nation. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has urged the public to watch the Games on television.
Several schools near Tokyo have already shunned the Olympic and the Paralympic events for fear of Covid-19, cancelling more than half of the 280,000 tickets reserved for them, news agency Reuters said on Sunday, citing the reportage of a Japanese daily. The federal government lifted a coronavirus-related state of emergency for Tokyo and eight other prefectures this month, but health professionals warned of signs in recent weeks that infections may be on the rise again.
