February 26, 2020

Speculation about possible cancellation of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics if Japan fails to contain the deadly coronavirus by May has triggered heated online debate, as the highly anticipated sports event is also crucial for the country that has been engulfed in a stagnation. Though International Olympic Committee (IOC), officials and analysts see any cancellation as "unlikely," serious questions were raised on event's safety given a rapid spike of infections in Japan. Japanese government has been under fire for its slow response and incompetency in handling the outbreak. 

The scheduled event reminds Japanese people of the 'golden age' after Japan held its first Olympic Games in 1964, representing reacceptance to the international community after the World War II and helping it rebuild friendships with former enemies. 

Different from the previous 1964 Tokyo Olympics that was held to promote Japan's national prestige, Tokyo 2020 has a different meaning for the Japanese people, Yoshikazu Kato, a Japanese adjunct associate professor of the Asia Global Institute at the University of Hong Kong, told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

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