Over 200,000 sign petition to cancel Tokyo Games

May 08, 2021 | News On Japan

May 08, 2021 (NHK) - An online petition calling for the cancellation of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games is quickly drawing support.

The petition drive was launched on Wednesday through the Change.org platform by Japanese lawyer Utsunomiya Kenji.

It had received 206,000 signatures as of 3 p.m. Friday, Japan time. The website operator says the petition topped the 200,000 mark at the fastest pace since the Japanese version of the platform was launched in 2012. It has so far hosted more than 8,200 initiatives.

The petition calls on five parties, including the governments of Japan and Tokyo, to cancel the Olympics and Paralympics to protect citizens' lives and livelihoods.

It says if the Games are held without an improvement in the coronavirus situation, athletes will face unfair differences in preparation, and the strain on Japan's medical sector will only grow worse.

The petition is due to be presented to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government as early as next week.

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