As the infection of the new coronavirus continues to spread, the number of online signatures calling for the cancellation of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics has exceeded 350,000, and an active lawyer said at a press conference, "It is clear that the pandemic has not converged. , It is not a situation that people all over the world can truly welcome and should be stopped. "
Kenji Utsunomiya (74), the former chairman of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, has begun an online signing activity calling for the cancellation of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics on the 5th of this month.
As of the 14th, the number of signatures has exceeded 350,000 because they are gathered from home and abroad.
Mr. Utsunomiya pointed out, "It is clear that the pandemic has not converged both in Japan and around the world. In Tokyo, the number of seriously ill patients is increasing under the state of emergency, but valuable medical resources must be devoted to the Olympics." Did.
He added, "It is not a situation that people all over the world can truly welcome and should be stopped. The question is whether to prioritize people's lives or the event of the Olympics."
Prior to the press conference, he submitted a request for cancellation to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and also sent an email to the IOC = International Olympic Committee and IPC = International Paralympic Committee.
It will also be submitted to the government and the Games Organizing Committee in the future.
There is also an online signature supporting the Tokyo Games, saying that it is possible if necessary infection countermeasures are taken.