U.S. First Lady to Attend Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony

Washington, July 13 (Jiji Press)--U.S. first lady Jill Biden will attend the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Olympics, the White House announced Tuesday. Through the visit by his 70-year-old wife, President Joe Biden, 78, hopes to emphasize his country's stance of valuing the Japan-U.S. alliance. French President Emmanuel Macron and some other dignitaries have announced that they will visit Japan for the opening ceremony to be held in the Japanese capital on July 23. The Japanese government had initially invited the U.S. president, but he will not attend the event due to his advanced age and the possibility of being infected with the novel coronavirus. The U.S. side had been carefully considering whether to send the first lady to the Tokyo Olympics, in which spectators will be barred from many competition venues amid the coronavirus crisis. While the U.S. president said late last month that he was hoping to send his wife to attend the ceremony, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday that the government was "still assessing the feasibility" of a visit by the first lady. Then President George W. Bush was present at the opening ceremony for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The U.S. government sent then first lady Michelle Obama to the London Olympics in 2012. Then Secretary of State John Kerry attended the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Then Vice President Mike Pence led the U.S. delegation at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. END