Greens Tokyo demand calling off Olympics

July 13, 2021

We report co-chairs of Greens Japan Tokyo division, Akiko Kando and Koji Sugihara are acting respectively against Olympics and Paralympic Games.

Akiko Kando handed a letter for the Governor of Tokyo, demanding its immediate cancellation of Olympics and Paralympics.

Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games are scheduled to start on July 23 when Akiko Kando is starting her term of Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly. She didn’t want to waste any hour until her term began. She submitted a written request to the Governor Yuriko Koike, calling for the cancellation of the games because they were allegedly leading to an explosive spreading of COVID-19 infections and putting unacceptable stresses to the medical institutions in Tokyo. Kando’s letter was received by the Director of the Coordination Division, Planning and Promotion Department, Olympics and Paralympics Planning Bureau. The games are expected to bring 15,000 athletes overseas and domestic in addition to about 53,000 related personnel and journalists from overseas.

Kando expressed her opinion as below on the 7th Women’s Protest Relay “We Have No Choice but to Stop the Tokyo Olympics.”

“I think it is really unfair that an international event is being held when there are huge inequalities surrounding the vaccines in the world. Some countries are suffering from a severe lack of COVID vaccines and are not even in situation of sending athletes to the games. The world has been inequal. Then under the pandemic circumstances, the problems are getting worse. We think we have no choice but to cancel the games. I believe it is very important to keep raising our voices even after the games start.”

• Find Kando’s speech here: https://youtu.be/_7uOKkxLqhY
• Find the Letter to the Tokyo Governor, “Cancel Tokyo Olympic Games otherwise we will suffer from explosive COVID infections and medical collapse” http://greens.gr.jp/uploads/2021/07/138ab73a0f1ef46e10c3b7abcaa44613.pdf (Japanese)

Koji Sugihara protested against Olympic Games in front of Hotel Okura where IOC President Bach was staying

July 10, 2021

“The Hotel Okura has a super-suite that costs 3 million yen per night. I don’t know if Mr. Bach is there right now but I am sure he is looking down on Tokyo from his super-luxury room. He brings the Olympics here, undoubtedly, he also causes COVID explosion and disaster. It is tantamount to unintentional murders. People must know the truth,” said Koji Sugihara.

A large number of members of the group “Citizens against Olympic Mafia” got together at Toranomon subway station despite a short notice of calling from Koji Sugihara.

Some media reported that about 100 policemen, including plain-clothes officers, supposedly from Akasaka Police HQ and other posts, blocked the sidewalks and impeded the way of the demonstrators, alleging the demonstrators’ causing traffic concerns.

Sugihara wrote in his blog as below:

“A wall of police officers was erected in front of the twin buildings of the hotel, and they even set obstacles between neighboring Toranomon Hospital, trying to confine protesters in this small patch. The security chief of Akasaka HQ, Takeo Iezuka, shamelessly told us that we were against Japan’s national interest to hold our demonstration in front of the Hotel Okura. But I think it is quite natural that we protested vehemently.“

“We broke through only the first blocking wall even with 50 people.　Then we were stopped at a small park halfway up the steep hill Edomizaka. We shouted, ‘Go Away Olympic mafia’, ‘Olympics and COVID take our jobs away’ and ‘You are killing us.’ It is ashamed that the police officers blocked the public passageways in broad daylight to prevent the access to the hotel building, and left them blocked throughout the day. It was illegal of course. Sugihara voiced in anger, “How could the Japanese police do this?! Don’t they want to protect the citizens?“

But he believed that despite those unconstitutional suppressions to the freedom of speech by the police forces, the protestants’ voices had spread through tabloid papers, overseas media and Internet, and reached the fellow citizens around the world.

• Find the full text of Sugihara’s report with many photos | https://kosugihara.exblog.jp/241085811/
• Find the video report : Demonstration against Tokyo Olympics in front of Hotel Okura by “Citizens Media Broadcasters” on July 10, 2021 https://is.gd/kuofV8