Around 80% want Tokyo Olympics cancelled or delayed: Japanese survey

Around 80 per cent of Japanese want the Tokyo Olympics to either be cancelled or delayed after a surge in coronavirus cases in the Asian country, a Kyodo News poll showed on Sunday.

ALSO READ:IOC's senior official says Tokyo Olympics uncertain due to coronavirus surge

According to the survey, 35.3 per cent want the Games to be cancelled and 44.8 per cent favoured another delay. The Olympics were scheduled to be held last year but was postponed due to coronavirus pandemic and is scheduled to be held between July 23-August 8 in Tokyo.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

On Thursday, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a state of emergency on greater Tokyo and could extend the measure to other areas as Japan struggles to contain a surge in infections.

The Japanese Prime Minister has been criticised and his support ratings have tumbled for his handling of the pandemic since he succeeded Abe in September. Suga's cabinet's approval rate slid 9 points from a month earlier to 41.3 per cent with the disapproval rate at 42.8 per cent, the Kyodo survey showed.

About 79 per cent said Suga's decision to call the state of emergency for Tokyo came too late and 68 per cent were dissatisfied with the government's response to the pandemic, the survey found.

(Inputs from Reuters)