Tokyo exits lockdown but pandemic Olympics barely register

About a month before the start of the long-delayed Olympic Games, Tokyo barely vibes a celebratory atmosphere. For the past few weeks, the metropolis has been under a strict state of emergency, imposed on most of Japan in response to a wave of coronavirus infections propelled by highly contagious variants.

Even though the authorities lifted some of the restrictions last weekend, and the Japanese capital has almost gone back to normal, one of the world’s biggest sporting events will most likely take place fairly quietly, divorced from Tokyo residents as well as foreign visitors.

No alcohol, no hugs, no cheers — these are examples of the many strict rules that Olympic organizers have introduced for spectators at the Summer Games. Seiko Hashimoto, president of the Tokyo 2020 Games, warned on Wednesday that festivities “will have to be suppressed” to keep the event safe.

Organizers and city authorities are aiming to enclose the event in a “safe bubble” of vaccinated athletes and delegations. The Games’ attendances will be capped at 50% of a venue’s capacity.

This looks nothing like the last time Japan hosted the Olympic Games, almost 60 years ago. Back in 1964, the Olympic Games marked the beginning of an era of growth and prosperity in Japan. Besides hosting the Summer Games, Tokyo had unveiled its legendary bullet train — a sign of pride for the city that had arisen from the ashes of a war that had ended fewer than two decades earlier.

But in April 2020, when the Games were supposed to take place, that train ran around Tokyo with most seats empty, according to the Reuters news agency. Residents were instructed to stay at home as the pandemic swept through Japan and the world. The Olympics had been postponed a month earlier.

Now, the event is on again, set to start in July despite widespread calls for its cancellation. Over the past weeks, polls have shown the majority of Japanese are opposed to holding the Games in July. Doctors and health care workers have emerged as the strongest voice of opposition to the Games, expressing concerns that a surge in infections could overwhelm the country’s already weary health care system. The risk of infection rates going up again is high, as the country’s vaccination rate remains low. Even though Japan has tried to speed up its vaccine rollout, just about 7%of the country’s citizens have received their second dose, compared with around a quarter of the population or more in many other rich countries.

“I can’t seem to enjoy myself as much as I did last time,” an elderly woman who saw the first Games told Reuters. “It’s disheartening, like somebody else’s problem. I don’t feel like it’s being held in my country.”