The Tokyo 2020 Olympics are sold to us by the C.I.O. and by the Japanese government as a symbol of hope and triumph over the hardships of the past year. Yet underneath this pristine surface lies numerous controversies and deep problems that make me doubtful that holding this event at this time is a good idea.
I am far from the only one holding this opinion. For one, the Japanese public themselves are not very confident. Their support is at an all-time low, with a mere 23% of the population still supporting the Olympics. Two days ago, a crowd of motivated detractors gathered in the capital and protested loudly against the games that will be soon held in the same place. A strange contrast with the quiet spectators of the Olympic flame relay that started at the same time in Fukushima, forbidden to not cheer loudly to prevent the spread of the virus.
Japanese people have many reasons to feel that way. As we have just mentioned, the coronavirus is still very much a threat. While Japan is faring relatively well compared to other developed nations, it still has only vaccinated 700,000 of its 126 million population. Many prominent scientists warn that the Olympics might become a super-spreader event as the promised vaccination of all athletes and accompanying personnel from abroad is becoming less and less likely.
But at least the foreign public will not be able to come from abroad to spread the virus! It is ironic that while Japan wants to become the centre of international attention and hold an event promoting global cooperation, officials blame disproportionately foreign nationals for the spreading of the virus and, even now, bar permanent residents who lived in Japan for years from entering or leaving the country, putting us in the same category as mere tourists…
Speaking of the international community, many have been shocked by the commentary of the former president of the Tokyo Olympics, Yoshiro Mori. Still to this day, many volunteers and athletes have rescinded their participation in the Olympics flame relay at the last moment, the problem being far from over after Mori’s resignation. And those who follow Japanese politics know that the games have been riddled with scandals from day one.
It all started with the supposition that Japan secretly bought at high price the votes it needed to be secure its position as a host country. It continued when they were accusations of plagiarism with the design of the old logo of the Tokyo games. It went even further with the storm that Mori’s commentary created. Some analysts say that the ruling party hoped to use the Olympics to divert public attention from its own scandals. If this is really the case, I can say without a doubt that their plans have failed.
But while all of those issues are very important, they pale in comparison to the one dominating Japanese media: the cost. Not so long ago, the Japanese government were very proud to announce that their Olympics would be within the expected budget, the first one to do so in decades. Today, however, with the delays and the new preventive measures against the virus, the costs have ballooned to a whooping ¥1.64 trillion. As the sponsors are more reluctant than ever to invest money in an event that will not only not pull the expected crowd, but that has also garnered so much negative attention (some of them even pulling their support), those costs will be bared by the average Japanese taxpayer.
The high-cost of the Olympics Ganes in generals has indeed been a subject of discussion for years. But at least, under normal circumstance, you can argue that it can be considered as an investment and that it stimulates the economy. With the current situation, however, the benefits are less visible than ever.
Normally, most of the return of investment comes from tourism, both internationally with huge crowds of people from abroad spending their money in locals restaurants and shops while they attend the games, and nationally with people from all over Japan coming to Tokyo, although they usually spend less. Sponsor also pay a high price because they hope that the foreigners see their advertisements during the games and buy their product while in Japan or bring them back as a souvenir.
Both of those venues for profits are now uncertain. With the frontiers still tightly closed, foreign spectators have already been refunded the entirety of their ticket, occurring further costs. Meanwhile, with the case slowly but surely rising across the country, many Japanese spectators are unsure if they can or if they even want to see the Olympics anymore. Of course, as I have mentioned before, sponsors are angry that their investments will not bring the expected result. All in all, to give a rough number, the loss of value is estimate at ¥130 billion.
All of this brings us back to the beginning, to the relay of the flame in Fukushima, and to the message of hope it is intended to bring across the country. This region of Japan was chosen for a reason. It comes from a certain desire to show a new Japan, that has changed and that has recovered from the triple disaster in 2011 that shook the country and devastated this region.
But even this seemingly positive and innocent message is widely criticized, with many residents and survivor from the disaster claiming that this story is far from being over. Some still seek due compensation for what they went true, while others want the government to admit more clearly their culpability and stop investing in nuclear energy. That is without even mentioning the social stigma surrounding the region, making it and its local product unattractive and preventing a complete economic recovery.
I know that what I am arguing for right now will not change anything. Things have advanced too far into the organization to pull back everything now. I don’t want to deny everyone the right to enjoy the Olympics or to believe in its positive value, and I will also follow the games from afar, as will probably most Japanese people. But I hope people can understand at least why Japanese people are angry and are protesting right now.
For a few years now, there had been serious discussion about the relevance of the Olympics under the current model. The Japanese Olympics were supposed to prove that successful Olympics still can be held today, but I think it has failed to prove anything beyond legitimizing the criticisms. The more important problem, for me, is that many Japanese feels distant and disconnected from the organization of the Games, and don’t feel like their voices are heard at all. I hope that there can at least be a dialogue between the local populations and the grand opaque organizing committee of the Olympics. And then, only then, maybe the Olympics could be held not against its will, but in cooperation with the locals and the international communities, realizing the intended values of the Olympics.
Sources:
