According to a poll published on Monday by the Japanese daily Asahi, more than 80% of Japanese people are opposed to the organization of the 2021 Olympics this summer in Tokyo.

Won last year because of the Covid-19, the event is scheduled to take place from July 23 to August 8.

43% of those questioned want the Games to be canceled and 40% a further postponement.

More than 80% of Japanese are opposed to the organization of the Olympic Games this summer, according to a new poll published on Monday, less than 10 weeks before the event, postponed last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic .

This opinion poll was carried out by the daily Asahi after the decision of the Japanese government on Friday to extend the state of health emergency to nine departments of the country, faced with a fourth wave of Covid-19 infections which puts its health system under pressure.

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The poll reveals that 43% of those questioned want the Games to be canceled and 40% a further postponement.

Those numbers are up from the 35% who supported the cancellation in a survey by the same newspaper a month ago and the 34% who wanted a further postponement. 

59% of respondents say they do not want an audience

Only 14% are in favor of holding the Games as planned this summer, against 28% previously, according to this telephone survey of 1,527 people.

If the Games are held, 59% of those polled said they did not want an audience, 33% favoring a reduction in the number of spectators and 3% favoring Games with normal capacity in the stadiums. 

For months, all polls have shown that a majority of Japanese oppose the holding of the Olympics, which will be held from July 23 to August 8.

Another poll carried out by the Kyodo news agency and published this Sunday shows that 59.7% of those questioned are in favor of the cancellation of the Olympics, although a new postponement was not cited as an option. 

Regular tests on athletes and very strict health measures

The organizers of the Olympic Games keep repeating that very strict antivirus measures, including regular tests on athletes and the ban on spectators from abroad, will allow the Olympics to be held "safely".

But the Kyodo poll found that 87.7% of those polled fear the influx of athletes and delegations could spread the virus. 

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Japan has so far experienced a smaller Covid-19 epidemic than that observed in many countries, with some 11,500 officially recorded deaths since early 2020. But the government has come under fire for delays in its vaccination program . According to the Kyodo poll, 85% of those questioned consider this program to be slow and 71.5% are unhappy with the way the government is handling the health crisis.