＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
(Reference) Original article in Japanese
・選手ファーストで安心・安全な東京五輪を開催すべき！「五輪中止論」は理不尽
The news footage from September 2013, showing then-Prime Minister Abe and Tokyo Governor Inose celebrating the decision to hold the Tokyo Olympics, and Christel Takigawa’s magnificent “omotenashi” (hospitality) presentation, is still vividly etched in my memory.
However, recently, there has been a sudden surge of calls to cancel the Olympics.
There are countless examples, including the “email issue urging Rikako Ikee to withdraw from the Olympics,” Yukio Edano, leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party, asking the Prime Minister to cancel the Olympics in the Diet, lawyer Kenji Utsunomiya’s “petition campaign to cancel the Olympics,” “opinions from Naomi Osaka and Kei Nishikori that the merits of holding the Olympics need to be debated,” and “public opinion poll results showing a large number of opinions calling for cancellation.”
1. The Unreasonable Arguments for Canceling the Olympics
(1) Based on Anxiety over the Spread of COVID-19
This likely reflects the opinions of many citizens who are feeling anxious about the spread of infection due to repeated requests for self-restraint from figures such as Tokyo Governor Koike, Osaka Governor Yoshimura, and Japan Medical Association President Nakagawa, as well as daily media coverage that emphasizes the dangers of COVID-19 and its variants.
This is reflected in the “public opinion poll results showing a large number of people calling for cancellation.”
I believe there is a problem with the media’s reporting stance of single-handedly focusing on COVID-19 and continuing to fuel public anxiety.
(2) Politicalized by the Opposition Parties to Attack the Liberal Democratic Party
I believe that the Constitutional Democratic Party and the Communist Party, among others, are deliberately politicizing the issue by brandishing the “cancellation of the Olympics” argument in order to attack the government and the Liberal Democratic Party.
While the government’s “third state of emergency declaration” is a poorly conceived policy that is unlikely to be effective in “restricting the movement of people,” I think it is wrong to use COVID-19 as a political tool and pursue a binary choice: “Should we protect the lives and safety of the people, or should we force through the Olympics?”
At the House of Councillors Cabinet Committee meeting on May 13th, Constitutional Democratic Party member Sugio criticized Minister of Economic Revitalization Nishimura’s statement on a May 9th television program that “there are people who want to see Rikako Ikee’s performance,” saying that “it’s inevitable that he’ll be accused of exploiting Ikee.” This criticism is completely off the mark.
In response, Minister Nishimura countered, “Not only Ikee, but athletes in various sports are working hard, and I think there are many citizens who want to see their performances, and I feel the same way.” This is a perfectly reasonable counter-argument.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that the Constitutional Democratic Party itself is “politically exploiting the argument for canceling the Olympics.”
(3) Emotional opposition that ignores the efforts and effectiveness of COVID-19 infection control measures
I believe that requests for business closures and requests for events to be held without spectators, completely ignoring the efforts of restaurants, department stores, and other large commercial facilities, as well as sports event organizers, to implement COVID-19 infection control measures, are unfair restrictions on business operations.
The closure of movie theaters, art museums, museums, and libraries is a “mysterious measure.”
There are also emotional arguments against the Olympics that ignore the efforts and effectiveness of these COVID-19 infection control measures.
(4) Arguments against the Olympics by people who are unaware that the IOC has the power to decide whether to hold or cancel the Olympics.
The power to decide whether to hold or cancel the Olympics does not belong to the government, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, or the organizing committee. Even less so to the athletes.
The power to decide rests solely with the IOC. For people who are unaware of this to pressure those without the power to “cancel the Olympics, oppose it, or withdraw” is completely inappropriate and misguided.
(5) Arguments against the Olympics by people who are unaware that the economic losses from canceling the Olympics would outweigh those from holding them.
Some opponents of canceling the Olympics are unaware that the economic losses would be greater than those from holding the Games with a small number of spectators or no spectators at all.
If Japan, as the host country, were to request the IOCO to cancel the Olympics, it would incur a massive obligation to pay compensation to the IOC.
Furthermore, some estimates suggest that the economic losses from canceling the Olympics could amount to 4 to 8 trillion yen. SMBC Nikko Securities estimates the economic loss at 7.8 trillion yen, which would reduce GDP by approximately 1.4%. Professor Emeritus Katsuhiro Miyamoto of Kansai University estimates the economic loss at 4.5 trillion yen, far exceeding the 1.4 trillion yen loss from a simplified event.
(6) Criticism of Yoichi Takahashi’s so-called “ripple tweets” that resemble censorship
If Takahashi’s “ripple tweets” are read carefully, they objectively present data showing that Japan’s infection situation is relatively low compared to other countries. His opinion that saying “cancel the Olympics” in this situation would make Japan a laughingstock worldwide is perfectly valid. I’ve explained this further on my YouTube channel, “Yoichi Takahashi Channel.”
In contrast, hysterically criticizing the “Olympic support” argument by taking a part of it out of context and saying, “What’s this about ripples!” is a negative trend in recent Japan, which could be called an “intolerant society.”
As an aside, “ripples” can also be written as “小波” or “細波” in kanji, but the single character is “漣.”
(7) Opposition arguments that agree with the irresponsible calls for cancellation of the Olympics by overseas newspapers
Some opposition arguments cite the irresponsible and self-serving (or malicious) arguments for cancellation of the Olympics in the New York Times and Washington Post.
However, overseas newspapers are not “impartial,” and some of their claims are merely “hypocritical.” Easily agreeing with such irresponsible arguments is evidence of a lack of individuality.
2. We should consider more the athletes who have worked so hard towards the Tokyo Olympics.
I believe the Japan High School Baseball Federation’s decision to cancel the 2020 Spring and Summer National High School Baseball Tournaments was an irresponsible move that abandoned any effort to find creative ways to hold the tournaments.
Many other sporting events were also canceled in 2020.
Certainly, last year, the true nature of COVID-19 was still unknown, and there were no treatments or vaccines, making it a terrifying pandemic that was difficult to deal with.
However, now the true nature of COVID-19, including variants, is understood, various infection control measures are being devised and implemented, and vaccinations are gradually beginning. The situation is different from last year.
Currently, there is strong pressure to cancel the Olympics, making it difficult for athletes to voice their desire for the Games to be held.
This is unfair to the athletes who have worked so hard towards the Tokyo Olympics. Their dreams should not be unjustly taken away for political reasons.
In that sense, the resolute stance of Rikako Ikee, who was asked to withdraw from the Olympics on social media, was admirable. Her message regarding the Tokyo Olympics on July 23, 2020, was also very impressive and moving.
The Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, shaken by the resurgence of COVID-19 infections, are drawing attention to the opinions of athletes regarding whether or not the Games should be held.
Many of the leading athletes who participated in the “Para Athletics Test Event” held on May 11th at the National Stadium, the main venue, expressed understanding of the growing calls for cancellation, but also voiced their hopes for the Games to be held.
Maya Nakanishi, a jumper with a prosthetic leg, revealed her complex feelings, stating, “No athlete wants to achieve success at the expense of other people’s lives.”
On the other hand, Sae Tsuji, who won a bronze medal in the women’s 400m at the previous Rio Games, prefaced her remarks by saying, “As an athlete, I can’t control whether or not the Games are held,” and then confessed her feelings, saying, “I myself am putting my life on the line for this. My livelihood is at stake; it’s not a game.”
3. We must also consider the efforts of those involved in ensuring a safe and secure event.
The IOC, JOC, and the organizing committee, among others involved with the Tokyo Olympics, are working diligently to ensure a safe and secure event by vaccinating all athletes, limiting the number of spectators (including the possibility of holding the Games without spectators), restricting the number of coaches and other officials/media personnel from overseas, and implementing other thorough infection control measures.
I believe the Tokyo Olympics should be held safely and securely, with these infection control measures in place and with restrictions on the number of spectators and entrants.