350,000 people sign petition calling for Tokyo Olympics to be cancelled

350,000 people have signed a petition calling for Tokyo Olympics to be cancelled!

As Japan extends the state of emergency just 10 weeks ahead of the Summer Olympics, the campaigners have submitted a petition with more than 350,000 signatures urging the Games to be scrapped.

The petition is also being sent to the IOC and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) as well as local organizers and the national government.

Kenji Utsunomiya, a former candidate for Tokyo governor has urged the Olympic Games organisers to ‘prioritise life’ as he submitted the 351,000-signature petition to city authorities.

‘I think the Olympics this time is about whether we prioritise life or a ceremony and event called the Olympics,’ Utsunomiya said, urging Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike to push for cancellation.

‘Holding the Olympics under these circumstances means precious medical resources have to be set aside for the Games,’ he warned.

On the other hand, Japan has further expanded a coronavirus state of emergency, currently in Tokyo and five other prefectures, to nine areas.

The three additions in the areas include Japan’s northern island state of Hokkaido, where the Olympic marathon will be held, as well as Hiroshima and Okayama in western Japan.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s government is determined to hold the Olympics in just over two months as Japan battles the fourth wave of Covid pushing case totals to near-record levels.