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'Anything can happen with Tokyo Olympics'
Olympic Rings are seen near the National Stadium, the main venue for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, in Tokyo on January 8, 2021, as Tokyo Olympics organisers insisted that the coronavirus-postponed Games will still go ahead despite Japan declaring a state of emergency less than 200 days before the opening ceremony.
Photo credit: Behrouz Mehri | AFP
What you need to know:
- Taro Kono, minister for administrative and regulatory reform, did not rule out the possibility of the Olympics being cancelled, with greater Tokyo and other regions currently under a state of emergency until at least February 7
- Kono is the first cabinet minister to deviate from Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's insistence that Japan is on track to hold a "safe and secure" Game
- Public support for the Olympics has plummeted in Japan, with a recent poll finding that more than 80 percent of participants thought the Games should be cancelled or postponed again
Tokyo
A Japanese cabinet minister admitted Friday that "anything can happen" with the coronavirus-postponed Tokyo Olympics, becoming the first senior official to concede uncertainty about the Games as Japan and other countries battle a surge in cases.
