Governor calls for cancellation of Osaka legs of Olympic relay

The governor of Japan’s Osaka prefecture called Thursday for Olympic officials to cancel the legs of the Olympic relay set to be held in the city, citing COVID-19 concerns.

Reuters reported that Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura said that he personally believed the relay through Osaka should not be held due to a resurgence of COVID-19 infections in the area but said that prefectural officials would need to speak with city officials to determine the best course of action.

“I think we need to have talks with the city of Osaka, but personally I think the torch relay in Osaka city should be canceled,” he said, according to the news service.

His comments appeared to spark confusion in Japan, with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga indicating to reporters that he believed the relay to have been canceled already, which Olympic officials denied.

“I understand Osaka has been cancelled as a result of talks between Tokyo Olympic organisers and the torch relay committee in Osaka,” Suga said at a news conference, according to Reuters.

“We will continue to hold close discussions with the Osaka prefectural authorities regarding the implementation of the Olympic Torch Relay, and strive to announce the outcome as soon as possible,” Olympic organizers told Reuters in a statement sent in response to the prime minister’s comments.

The decision to go ahead with the rescheduled 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer is controversial in Japan and comes as the country reportedly faces ongoing concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including a slow vaccine rollout.

The country has seen its rate of new infections rise over the past month after falling significantly from a peak in January, which spurred officials to relax some COVID-19 restrictions in Tokyo. Similar restrictions are now in place in several western regions, with Japan’s government urging workers in those prefectures to stay at home in several regions for a month.