Japan's southern prefecture of Shimane is considering canceling Olympic Torch Relay events on its soil until adequate safeguards can be put in place to contain the spread of the coronavirus, governor Tatsuya Maruyama said on Wednesday
TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th February, 2021) Japan's southern prefecture of Shimane is considering canceling Olympic Torch Relay events on its soil until adequate safeguards can be put in place to contain the spread of the coronavirus, governor Tatsuya Maruyama said on Wednesday.
"There has been dissatisfaction with the measures taken by the Japanese government and the Tokyo municipality to combat the coronavirus," the governor said, as quoted by the Kyodo news agency.
The official deems it unjustified to hold such a high-risk event amid "such a low ability to take measures."
In addition, the governor of the scarcely populated province slammed what he says is unfair distribution of state aid among regions, namely, the difference between the amount of assistance provided to hard-hit regions and those with a low virus incidence.
Maruyama, however, has not made a final decision on the relay ceremony.
"As of today, I am not asking to cancel [the torch relay]. We will make the decision based on the situation and whether the measures taken by the government and Tokyo will improve," he later told a meeting of the relay's executive committee, as quoted in the report.
The Tokyo Olympics torch relay is scheduled to pass through Shimane prefecture from May 15-16. The date of the Paralympic torch relay has yet to be set.
