Online petition author requests Tokyo governor to cancel Olympics

Bishkek, May 14, 2021 . / Kabar /. A Japanese lawyer who launched a popular online petition calling for the cancelation of this summer's Olympics on Friday urged the Tokyo metropolitan government to call off the games, saying protecting people's lives from the coronavirus must be the top priority, Kyodo News Agency reported.

Kenji Utsunomiya, who on May 5 launched the online campaign that has so far gathered 350,000 signatures, said Japan and the rest of the world are not ready to stage the Olympics and Paralympics due to the global health crisis.

"Holding the Olympics should be welcomed by everyone, but that is not possible under the current situation. So the Olympics must be canceled," Utsunomiya, former head of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, told a press conference after handing over the request addressed to Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike.

The submission of the request comes with less than three months until the scheduled opening of the postponed Tokyo Olympics.

A cloud of uncertainty looms over the Summer Games as Japan grapples with surging infections, driven by highly contagious virus variants.

The games have faced increased opposition within Japan and abroad in recent weeks as many hospitals have become overwhelmed due to the rising number of COVID-19 sufferers in Tokyo and elsewhere.

Utsunomiya said he has sent the request also to the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee, and will continue collecting signatures until the Tokyo Games are scrapped.

Created in Japanese, English, French and German, the "Stop Tokyo Olympics" petition is addressed to IOC President Thomas Bach, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and other heads of organizing bodies.

It quickly gathered support as it was passed around on social media. According to Change.org, the platform hosting the petition, people from over 130 countries have signed.

Utsunomiya said the petition has received messages of support from across the world, including Britain, Canada, Malaysia and Singapore.