Suga to Seek G-7 Understanding for Tokyo Games at Summit

Tokyo, June 2 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at an upcoming Group of Seven summit in Britain will seek understanding for his government's resolve to go ahead with the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said Wednesday. Suga will "tell his G-7 counterparts that Japan is determined to hold the Tokyo Games safely and securely by putting thorough measures against the novel coronavirus into place and not accepting spectators from abroad, among other things, in order to obtain understanding for the events from the summit participants," Kato said at a press conference. The Summer Olympics and Paralympics, originally scheduled for 2020, have been put off by one year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. The summit among the seven major industrial countries--Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States--plus the European Union "will be an important opportunity to show to the world their resolve that they are united in leading international society." At the in-person meeting, slated for June 11-13 in Cornwall, southwestern Britain, Japan is ready to actively engage in discussions on key issues, such as coronavirus countermeasures, the world economy, free trade, climate change and regional challenges, the top government spokesman said. END