(Observer Network News) Japan's "Yomiuri Shimbun" quoted a number of sources as saying on the 11th that the Japanese side may send Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee Chairman Hashimoto Seiko and others to attend the Beijing Winter Olympics, but senior officials at the ministerial level of the Japanese government will not participate. Japan will make a formal decision within this month, which also means that Japan may be in step with the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia on this issue.
Reported by Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun
Earlier, conservative members of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party pressured Prime Minister Fumio Kishida not to send government officials to the Beijing Winter Olympics. After the United States announced that it would not send an official delegation to attend the Beijing Winter Olympics, Kishida Responded on the 7th that the Japanese side will make an independent judgment based on its own interests by comprehensively considering factors such as the significance of the Winter Olympics. Japanese media mentioned that Kishida has expressed his hope to go to the United States for face-to-face talks with Biden as soon as possible, and is currently coordinating the schedule with the US side, at which time Kishida may convey to the US side the Japanese government's response to the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The Japan Broadcasting Association (NHK) said that when considering how to respond to the Beijing Winter Olympics, Japan not only pays attention to the movements of the United States, but also takes into account the factors that the Chinese side sent the director of the State Sports Administration to participate in the Tokyo Olympic Games this year, so it will coordinate in the direction of not sending ministerial officials, but the Japanese athlete team will participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics as planned.
In February 2021, former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, then chairman of the Tokyo Organising Committee, was forced to resign because of his sexist speeches. It was only half a year before the olympic games began, and the Japanese government finally decided to be replaced by Hashimoto Seiko, who was then the Minister of The Olympic Games. On 18 February, Hashimoto resigned as minister and took over as Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Olympic Games on the same day.
Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee Chairman Seiko Hashimoto (Japanese media photo)
On November 29, Japanese Olympic Committee President Yasuhiro Yamashita and former Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda expressed their wishes for the success of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Yamashita also revealed that Japan will send a large-scale delegation of more than 200 people to participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics, and he himself will also go to Beijing with the delegation.
A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Guterres said a few days ago that Guterres will attend the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. French President Emmanuel Macron said the Olympic movement should not be politicized and that a "diplomatic boycott" of the Beijing Winter Olympics would have little significance and only a symbolic effect. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Cherneshchenko said the U.S. side was trying to politicize the Beijing Winter Olympics, but the Olympic movement would not be affected by it.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular press conference on the 10th that the Beijing Winter Olympics is a grand event and stage for winter Olympic athletes and ice and snow sports enthusiasts around the world. More and more national governments and national Olympic committees have publicly expressed their support for the Beijing Winter Olympics. We welcome athletes and relevant people from all over the world to come to China to participate in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, and are willing to work with all parties to practice the Olympic spirit of "greater unity" and make new contributions to promoting the Olympic cause.
This article is an exclusive manuscript of the Observer Network and may not be reproduced without authorization.