Japan's Leader Faces Criticism for Pressing Plans for Olympic Games
2021-05-13
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1Japan's government is facing criticism for pressing its plans to hold the Tokyo Olympics even as the country deals with the coronavirus health crisis.
2More than 300,000 people have signed a petition calling for a cancellation of the Games, which are set to open on July 23.
3The 2020 Summer Olympics were delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
4A Japanese newspaper advertisement said people were in danger of being "killed by politics."
5It suggested the government is not doing enough to fight the pandemic and vaccines are not widely available.
6Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has repeatedly stated that the government is continuing with plans to hold the Olympics.
7He has promised that the games will happen safely and securely.
8Some Japanese lawmakers have questioned those statements as some hospitals still struggle to find beds for those sick with COVID-19.
9On Wednesday, officials in some parts of Japan extended a state of emergency as virus cases continued to rise.
10Last month, Suga declared a third state of emergency in Osaka, the center of the current rise in virus cases, as well as in Tokyo and two other areas.
11That has since been extended through May 31.
12On Wednesday, two more areas, Aichi in central Japan and Fukuoka in the south, were placed under emergency measures.
13It is estimated that only 1 percent of the Japanese public has so far been fully vaccinated although millions of vaccine doses sit unused in very low temperature storage.
14The newspaper ad stated: "No vaccine. No medication.
15Are we supposed to fight with bamboo spears? We'll be killed by politics if things remain unchanged."
16The ad was created by Tokyo-based publisher Takarajimasha.
17The company is known for speaking out on political and social issues.
18It urged the public to demand that the government end poorly planned coronavirus measures.
19"We have been deceived. What was the past year for?" it said.
20The ad brought a lot of attention on social media.
21It said many Japanese have faced medical and financial problems with little government support.
22But there was also wide public interest in a parliament meeting in which numerous opposition lawmakers questioned Suga.
23People want to know how he could guarantee a safe Olympics during an expanded state of emergency.
24Suga avoided giving a direct answer, saying repeatedly that he was committed to holding the games safely and to protecting people's lives and health.
25Videos of Suga's comments were shared widely on social media, with some people posting critical statements such as "The prime minister is broken."
26Suga and his government have faced criticism for being too slow and soft on virus measures.
27Japan has been able to keep its number of virus cases and deaths below those in the U.S. and Europe without lockdowns and other restrictive measures.
28But the results are worse than in some other parts of Asia.
29Japan has also fallen far behind in vaccinations.
30Though officials blame a lack of supplies imported from Europe, progress has been slowed because of staff shortages.
31About 7.6 million doses, or more than half of all shots received, remain unused in freezers.
32The president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee, Seiko Hashimoto, said Wednesday that Japanese athletes were likely to get vaccines before the games begin.
33"In the case of Japan, the vaccination of the citizens isn't going very well," she said. "Not much progress is being made."
34Hashimoto added that because this is seen by the public as giving Olympic athletes special treatment, "this gives rise to dissatisfaction among the citizens toward the games."
35I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Japan's government is facing criticism for pressing its plans to hold the Tokyo Olympics even as the country deals with the coronavirus health crisis. 2More than 300,000 people have signed a petition calling for a cancellation of the Games, which are set to open on July 23. The 2020 Summer Olympics were delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic. 3A Japanese newspaper advertisement said people were in danger of being "killed by politics." It suggested the government is not doing enough to fight the pandemic and vaccines are not widely available. 4Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has repeatedly stated that the government is continuing with plans to hold the Olympics. He has promised that the games will happen safely and securely. Some Japanese lawmakers have questioned those statements as some hospitals still struggle to find beds for those sick with COVID-19. On Wednesday, officials in some parts of Japan extended a state of emergency as virus cases continued to rise. 5Last month, Suga declared a third state of emergency in Osaka, the center of the current rise in virus cases, as well as in Tokyo and two other areas. That has since been extended through May 31. On Wednesday, two more areas, Aichi in central Japan and Fukuoka in the south, were placed under emergency measures. 6It is estimated that only 1 percent of the Japanese public has so far been fully vaccinated although millions of vaccine doses sit unused in very low temperature storage. 7The newspaper ad stated: "No vaccine. No medication. Are we supposed to fight with bamboo spears? We'll be killed by politics if things remain unchanged." 8The ad was created by Tokyo-based publisher Takarajimasha. The company is known for speaking out on political and social issues. It urged the public to demand that the government end poorly planned coronavirus measures. "We have been deceived. What was the past year for?" it said. 9The ad brought a lot of attention on social media. It said many Japanese have faced medical and financial problems with little government support. 10But there was also wide public interest in a parliament meeting in which numerous opposition lawmakers questioned Suga. People want to know how he could guarantee a safe Olympics during an expanded state of emergency. Suga avoided giving a direct answer, saying repeatedly that he was committed to holding the games safely and to protecting people's lives and health. 11Videos of Suga's comments were shared widely on social media, with some people posting critical statements such as "The prime minister is broken." 12Suga and his government have faced criticism for being too slow and soft on virus measures. Japan has been able to keep its number of virus cases and deaths below those in the U.S. and Europe without lockdowns and other restrictive measures. But the results are worse than in some other parts of Asia. 13Japan has also fallen far behind in vaccinations. Though officials blame a lack of supplies imported from Europe, progress has been slowed because of staff shortages. About 7.6 million doses, or more than half of all shots received, remain unused in freezers. 14The president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee, Seiko Hashimoto, said Wednesday that Japanese athletes were likely to get vaccines before the games begin. "In the case of Japan, the vaccination of the citizens isn't going very well," she said. "Not much progress is being made." 15Hashimoto added that because this is seen by the public as giving Olympic athletes special treatment, "this gives rise to dissatisfaction among the citizens toward the games." 16I'm Bryan Lynn. 17The Associated Press reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 18We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 19_________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21petition - n. a document signed by a large number of people demanding some form of action from the government 22dose - n. the amount of a medicine, drug, or vitamin that is taken at one time 23spear - n. a weapon made up of a pole with a sharp point at one end 24deceive - v. to persuade someone that something false is the truth 25staff - n. a group of people who work for an organization 26athlete - n. a person who is trained in or good at sports, games, or exercises that require physical skill and strength