Tokyoites Show Understanding, Surprise at Olympic Postponement

Tokyo, March 25 (Jiji Press)--Some Tokyo citizens have expressed their understanding to the latest decision to postpone the Tokyo Olympics, originally slated this summer, while others voiced surprise at the move. "This is a wise decision, because the outbreak of the new coronavirus has yet to be brought under control," said Kenji Tsujimura, a 26-year-old corporate worker from Tokyo's Setagaya Ward, who was visiting Odaiba Marine Park in Minato Ward in the Japanese capital with his girlfriend. But Tsujimura added, "I want them to show why they opted to put off the Olympics by about one year," noting that Japan would come under international criticism if the games are postponed again. In telephone talks on Tuesday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach agreed that the Tokyo Olympics will be pushed back by about one year and will be held by summer 2021 at the latest, sharing the view that it is impossible to carry out the event by the end of this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Yuta Sato, 33, a company employee from Tokyo's Nerima Ward, expressed surprise, saying, "A virus has changed the history of Olympics." Noting that the coronavirus forced a dramatic change in the Olympics, Sato, who was visiting the seaside park with two nephews, said, "I was reminded of the magnitude of the development." A large countdown clock placed in front of Tokyo Station in the Marunouchi business district in Chiyoda Ward continued working on Tuesday night, showing that there are "121 days to go" until July 24 this year, the original opening date of the Tokyo Olympics. Business people on their way home after work and others were seen taking photos of the clock with their smartphones, with one of them saying, "This will possibly be removed before long." Among them, Ayumi Ishi, 22, who attended a graduation ceremony of her university on the day, said: "I hope that the Tokyo Olympics will be held in a perfectly safe environment. This will be desirable for athletes." Meanwhile, Kimiaki Masuko, a 38-year-old corporate worker in the western Japan city of Osaka, who was slated to work as a volunteer during the Olympics, said, "Until some time ago, I had hoped that the Tokyo Olympics would be held as scheduled." "But I came to think that the postponement can't be helped" since people in Osaka Prefecture and neighboring Hyogo Prefecture have been asked to refrain from nonessential travel between the two prefectures, where cases of infection with the new coronavirus are increasing, he said. Still, Masuko suggested that he is taking the development on a positive note, saying that the postponement will "give me time to practice more to improve my English conversation skills." "I continue to hope that I will steadily do what I can to support the Olympic Games," he said. END