Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, once praised for her anti-virus efforts, now faces increasing criticism over her adamant denials that the Olympics were linked to the explosion of new COVID-19 cases in the capital.

Koike has dismissed assertions that hosting the Summer Games was connected to the continuing sharp surge in infections, although studies show that a record-setting number of Tokyoites contracted the virus when the Olympics were being held.

Experts on the Tokyo metropolitan government’s panel on responding to the pandemic said Aug. 12 that the novel coronavirus situation in the capital was “out of control.”

They added that the virus was spreading at an unprecedented pace.

Panel member Norio Omagari, director of the Disease Control and Prevention Center under the National Center for Global Health and Medicine, suggested a link between the Tokyo Olympics and the rising caseload that is overwhelming the medical system.

“Crowds were seen outside competition venues and nearby streets to root for Olympians,” he said at the meeting.

But Koike bluntly rejected his observation at a news conference the following day.

“What he is saying is based on the impression he had,” Koike said. “We have data on the numbers.”

She added: “It is important to speak based on evidence, not episodes.”

Critics and health experts had repeatedly questioned the wisdom of staging the Olympics in the densely populated metropolis amid the pandemic, even if spectators were banned from attending.

They warned that government approval of holding the event could lead many in the public, weary of government-issued states of emergency and “stay-home” instructions, to let their guards down and go out to enjoy the festive mood of the sports extravaganza.

But Koike has consistently denied that has happened, citing TV viewing rates exceeding 20 percent during the Games. She has said the Olympics did help people stay home.

On Aug. 13, she reiterated her position, saying: “People rooted for athletes while staying home as teleworking became more common. That is why the viewer rating went up.”

The same day, the metropolitan government abruptly published a study report that backed the governor’s position.

The study compared the flow of people near the competition venues in central Tokyo before and during the Olympics.

It concluded that overall, crowds were smaller during the event, compared with the pre-Olympic period, although pedestrian traffic surged temporarily during the Opening and Closing ceremonies and at race competitions held on public roads.

Other data, however, showed that during the Olympics, crowds did not thin significantly in Tokyo’s entertainment districts in the late night hours, despite the heightened risk of contracting and transmitting the virus.

According to a report from the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, the number of people who stayed outdoors for leisure purposes during the Aug. 1-Aug. 7 week was down by 17.6 percent from the week until July 12, when the capital was placed under its fourth state of emergency.

It was also down by 20.8 percent during the July 25-July 31 week, compared with the last week before the emergency declaration.

Experts say it takes about two weeks at the longest until an infected individual is counted as a COVID-19 patient, including the incubation period and the time needed to get tested.

The infection trajectory in recent weeks points to an explosion of infections when the Olympics were being held until Aug. 8.

Tokyo reported a record 5,773 newly confirmed infections on Aug. 13. Two weeks earlier, on July 30, the Olympic Games were in full swing.

The seven-day average of new cases, which indicates the extent of the spread, was 3,820 as of the week through Aug. 6, two weeks after the Games opened on July 23. The average soared to 4,264 over the week through Aug. 15.

Many bars and restaurants have defied metropolitan authorities’ requests to halt alcohol sales during the state of emergency. Such places were seen full of customers, including those who were not watching the Olympics.

Experts note that a big difference in the latest and largest wave of infections in Tokyo since late July is that the highly contagious Delta variant is now responsible for a vast majority of new COVID-19 cases around the capital and the rest of Japan.

Early in the pandemic, Koike won accolades for holding frequent news conferences to keep the public informed about the situation in Tokyo and her consistent calls for residents to take anti-virus measures.

But her outright dismissal of health experts’ remarks on crowds during the Olympics as a mere “impression” drew criticism even from officials in her own government.

“Listening only when experts say something convenient for her and ignoring them at other times raises questions about her perspectives as a leader,” a senior metropolitan government official said.

The official also said Koike’s insistence that the flow of people declined due to the positive impact of the Olympics was a far cry from what ordinary people perceived.

(This story was written by Yuki Okado and Rihito Karube.)