The statement said Bach’s visit would be made “as soon a possible.” The postponement is an embarrassment to the IOC and local organisers with the Olympics opening in just over 10 weeks. Organisers and the IOC have repeatedly said the Olympics will not be cancelled, and will be “safe and secure.” Japan has attributed 11,000 deaths to Covid-19, better than many countries, but poor for Asia. Variants of the virus are spreading with reports of public health systems coming under pressure.
Behrouz Mehri/AP
IOC President Thomas Bach cancelled a planned trip to Japan due to surging cases of Covid-19 across the Asian country.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga answers questions from Yukio Edano, leader of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, at the Lower House Budget Committee on March 1. (Kotaro Ebara)
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga showed more caution about lifting the COVID-19 state of emergency for the greater Tokyo area after opposition lawmakers and governors warned about a possible rebound in virus infections.
“I would like to wait and see how the infectious disease situation goes until last minute,” Suga said at the Lower House Budget Committee on March 2 about the state of emergency.
The state of emergency is scheduled to end on March 7 for Tokyo and the three surrounding prefectures of Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama. It was lifted for six other prefectures on Feb. 28.
Japan opposition parties slam gov t over press official s resignation, call her victim
March 2, 2021 (Mainichi Japan)
Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato speaks about the resignation of Cabinet Public Relations Secretary Makiko Yamada during the House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting on March 1, 2021. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is seen to the right. (Mainichi/Kan Takeuchi) TOKYO Japan s opposition camp is slamming Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga s government following the resignation of a Cabinet press official over lavish dinners she was treated to by a broadcasting company Suga s son works for. Critics referred to her as a victim of what they say is an iron-fisted approach within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) that has persisted since the previous administration of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and that this culture forced the senior bureaucrat to attend dinner functions.