Japan sees no impact on Olympics from U.S. travel advisory

Japan sees no impact on Olympics from U.S. travel advisory
# 25 May 2021 13:52 (UTC +04:00)

Top Japanese officials said on Tuesday they did not expect a U.S. advisory against travel to Japan due to coronavirus concerns to affect the Tokyo Olympics - less than two months away - and that U.S. support for the Games was unchanged, APA reports citing Reuters.

The U.S. State Department's "Do Not Travel" advisory and guidance for Japan on Monday did not mention the Olympics specifically but warned against visiting the country now.

"At present, we can see no particular impact," Olympic Minister Tamayo Marukawa told a news conference. She noted that the advisory did not ban essential travel and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee had said planned mitigation practices would allow for safe participation of Team USA athletes.

Japanese and Olympic officials have pledged the Games will go ahead as planned on July 23 after being postponed in 2020, even as surveys show a majority of Japanese want the Games cancelled or postponed due to worries over coronavirus.

An online "Stop Tokyo Olympics" campaign had collected 387,000 signatures as of Tuesday, organisers said.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said Japan was in close contact with the U.S. government.

"There is absolutely no change in the United States' support for Japan's decision to hold the Olympics, we believe," Kato said.

In its new guidance, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said travellers should avoid all travel to Japan.

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