Poll: 59% say Olympics, Paralympics should be canceled

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:45 JST, May 10, 2021

About 60% of respondents said the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics should be canceled in the latest poll conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun, while about 40% said the event should be held either with restrictions on the number of spectators or without spectators.

According to the nationwide poll conducted from May 7 to 9, 59% of the respondents said the Games should be canceled. Among those who said the sporting events should be held, 23% said there should be no spectators, and 16% said there should be a limit on the number of spectators.

In the four prefectures under a state of emergency — Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo — and the two prefectures that will implement emergency measures from May 12 — Aichi and Fukuoka — an average of 64% of people favored cancellation. The average was 57% in the 41 other prefectures.

In host city Tokyo, 61% of respondents said the Games should be canceled, highlighting the impact of the coronavirus crisis in the capital.

The government plans to hold the Games as scheduled. Seiko Hashimoto, president of the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, has said the decision on spectator limits will be made in June.