Japan doubled down on its commitment to host the Tokyo Olympics this year and flatly denied reports of a cancellation, in a move that is unlikely to temper public fears of holding the event during a global pandemic.
Though much of Japan is under a state of emergency due to a third wave of COVID-19 infections, Tokyo organisers have consistently vowed to press ahead with the Games scheduled to open on July 23 after having been postponed in March last year.
A government spokesman said there was no truth to a report in The Times that Japan was now focused on rescheduling the event to 2032.
They will clearly deny the report, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Manabu Sakai said in a press conference.
The Tokyo 2020 organising committee also denied the report, saying its partners including the Japanese government and the International Olympic Committee were fully focused on hosting the games as scheduled.
