While athletes from all over the world fight for Olympic medals in the sports halls and stadiums in the capital, the Japanese population experiences the horror of new corona highs.

Tokyo reported a record 3865 new infections on Thursday.

Nationwide, the daily number of infections rose to more than 10,000 for the first time, reported the television station NHK.

According to Japanese media reports, this Friday the government will expand Tokyo’s virus emergency to three neighboring prefectures and extend it until the end of August.

Patrick Welter

Correspondent for business and politics in Japan, based in Tokyo.

  • Follow I follow

The government is trying to pull the emergency brake after the number of infections has recently increased dramatically with the advance of the Delta variant.

The seven-day incidence rose to around 111 infected per 100,000 residents in Tokyo on Thursday.

Two weeks earlier it was only 44. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will discuss the corona situation with experts this Friday and then make the decision in the cabinet.

Sugas' most important corona advisor, the virologist Shigeru Omi, said in parliament that the population lacked an understanding of the seriousness of the situation.

He described this as crucial to stop the rapid development of infections.

Two foreign Olympic athletes are in the hospital

Japan had done comparatively well in the pandemic so far.

According to the World Health Organization, the country with its 126 million inhabitants recorded around 880,000 cases of infection and around 15,200 virus deaths.

Critics in Japan complain that the Olympic Games in Tokyo thwarted the seriousness of the corona situation.

The government and medical professionals urgently recommend watching the competitions with the family in front of the television.

But the games have also set many Japanese in spatial motion.

Hundreds of sports fans gathered in front of the stadiums or on the tracks for the opening ceremony and the outdoor competitions.

The Olympic flame and the new Olympic Stadium attract many people every day who take souvenir photos there.

At the beginning of the Games, the Japanese had a four-day vacation weekend, which many in Tokyo used to escape from the Olympic traffic and drive to the provinces.

Experts consider these indirect effects to be the greatest corona risk in the Olympic Games.

The number of infections among the athletes and the officials and journalists who have traveled from abroad, on the other hand, has been relatively low at 198 since July 1.

89 of the more than 39,000 Olympic guests who entered the country are infected.

Two foreign Olympians are in hospital, but are not said to be seriously ill.

Probably no spectators at the Paralympic Games

The Olympians are often tested and have little to no contact with the population. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike denied a connection between the increase in infection cases and the Olympic Games. The increase in television viewers shows that more people are staying at home, Koike said.

Three weeks ago, the government imposed a virus emergency on Tokyo and the southern island of Okinawa and tightened anti-virus measures on the neighboring prefectures. In Japan this means above all that bars and restaurants do not serve alcohol and should close at 8 p.m. These rules are followed by almost all establishments. Large department stores are also supposed to close at 8 p.m. The population is asked to stay at home if possible. Pandemic fatigue is widespread. With the expansion and prolongation of the virus emergency around Tokyo, the likelihood that Japanese viewers will be admitted to the Paralympic Games, which begin on August 24, is decreasing. Foreign sports fans have already been unloaded.