Photo/Illutration The National Stadium is scheduled to hold the Opening Ceremony for the Tokyo Olympics in July. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s comment regarding the Tokyo Olympics drew a mixed reaction, with some saying it underscores his determination to hold the event as planned and others suggesting he is softening his stance.

“As evidence that humankind has won out over the novel coronavirus, the holding of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in a complete format obtained the support of the G-7,” Abe told reporters after his videoconference with the other Group of Seven leaders on March 16.

The part about “holding in a complete format” appeared open to interpretation.

When asked what Abe meant by those words, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at his March 17 news conference, “We want to proceed with preparations toward holding the Games as planned.”

At his news conference on March 17, education minister Koichi Hagiuda said, “(The comment) meant we would not hold the event without spectators in the stands.”

However, other high-ranking government officials had their own take on what Abe meant.

“There are various meanings to what he said,” one official said. “For one thing, all the conditions would have to be in place (before holding the Games.)”

Abe’s comment was taken to also include the possibility of postponing the event if it could not be held in a complete format.

A high-ranking government official said, “We do not know what the situation is like in other nations, but we will push ahead with preparations in the appropriate manner.”

When the novel coronavirus started spreading around Japan, various sporting and cultural events in the country were canceled or suspended. But Abe has repeated that the Summer Olympics would be held as scheduled.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike had also repeatedly called for holding the Games as planned and said that banning fans from the venues was out of the question, as was postponing the Olympics.

But on March 17, she finessed her comments and placed priority on controlling the coronavirus outbreak, in part because Tokyo had the largest increase in new infections that day of all prefectures.

When asked about views being raised that the Olympics should be postponed, Koike said: “I believe that priority must be placed above all on implementing measures to prevent a further spread of infections. The Olympics would come after that.”

If the Olympics cannot be held as scheduled from July, there are various options, but all would raise other logistical hurdles and result in financial losses for the organizers.

One major hurdle in postponing the Games is securing the venues for a later date. Many of the venues are also popular sites for events and exhibitions, so there is no guarantee they would be available even if the Olympics were delayed until summer 2021 or even 2022.

If the venues are already reserved, monetary compensation might have to be paid to change the bookings for the Olympic events.

Securing the 80,000 volunteers who have signed up for this summer as well as the 46,000 or so hotel rooms for those connected with the Olympics would also be another major issue.

There is already a plan to set up a major residential complex that would encompass the Athletes’ Village in the Harumi district of the capital and sell the units to residents for occupancy from March 2023. Some people have already signed contracts for the condominiums.

If a delay arose in entering the units, the owners would have to change their plans.

A large portion of revenues for the International Olympic Committee comes from television broadcasting rights. While the IOC likely has insurance to cover the loss of that revenue, there is also the possibility its finances would be hurt by a cancellation of the Tokyo Olympics.

Moreover, in the agreement signed with the IOC when Tokyo decided to bid to host the Games, provisions regarding any loss incurred by the organizing committee call for the Tokyo metropolitan government and later the central government to make up the loss.

(This article was written by Maho Yoshikawa, Yusuke Nagano, Roku Goda and Ryosuke Yamamoto.)