Tokyo, May 14 (/APP):Japan expanded a coronavirus state of emergency Friday, just 10 weeks before the Olympics, as campaigners submitted a petition with more than 350,000 signatures calling for the Games to be scrapped
With Tokyo and other areas already under emergency orders until the end of May, three more regions -- including northern Hokkaido, which will host the Olympic marathon -- now join them.
"Today, we decided to add Hokkaido, Okayama and Hiroshima to the area under the state of emergency from May 16 to 31," Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced at a virus taskforce meeting.
In these three regions, "the population is relatively big and the number of new cases is very rapidly increasing", he said.
The widening emergency, aimed at combatting a fourth wave putting Japan's medical system under strain, comes with public opinion firmly opposed to holding the Games this summer, fearing further infections.
Kenji Utsunomiya, a former candidate for Tokyo governor, urged Games organisers to "prioritise life" as he submitted the 351,000-signature petition to city authorities.
"I think the Olympics this time is about whether we prioritise life or a ceremony and event called the Olympics," Utsunomiya said, urging Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike to push for cancellation.
The petition is also being sent to the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee, as well as local organisers and the national government.
"Holding the Olympics under these circumstances means precious medical resources have to be set aside for the Games," Utsunomiya warned.
On Thursday, a doctors' union warned it was "impossible" to hold the Games safely during the pandemic, but organisers say virus countermeasures will keep the athletes and Japanese public safe.
Tokyo 2020 chief Seiko Hashimoto told reporters she was aware of the concerns, but insisted strict rules would keep everyone safe.
"We have announced very stringent antivirus measures," she told reporters.
"We have to create a firm bubble and take the necessary restrictions to avoid putting strain on the medical system."
