In Japan, the Olympics were canceled due to the «fourth wave» of the pandemic

The Tokyo Olympics could be canceled in the event of a sharp deterioration in the spread of COVID-19, said Toshihiro Nikai, secretary general of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party. “If this is not possible, then it should be canceled,” the politician said. “What is the point of the Olympics if it leads to the spread of infection? At this stage, we will have to make a decision, ”he stressed.

At the same time, in another TV interview, the minister in charge of the vaccination campaign in Japan, Taro Kono, said that Japan will host the Olympic and Paralympic Games "as soon as possible." “It can be without spectators” Reuters quoted him.

The cancellation or postponement of the Olympics will probably not have much impact on the Japanese economy, but will have a greater impact on the services sector in Tokyo, a senior International Monetary Fund official told the agency.

Japan is grappling with rising coronavirus cases. The country's chief medical adviser, Shigeru Omi, acknowledged that the "fourth wave" of the pandemic, caused by mutant strains, had begun. According to Johns Hopkins University on April 15, Japan has 517,281 cases of coronavirus, 9471 people have died from this disease.

The Tokyo Olympics were supposed to take place from July 24 to August 9, 2020, but were postponed for a year due to the pandemic. Competitions are scheduled for July 23 - Aug 8