eFM News

Japan's prime minister said he is "determined " to hold the Tokyo Olympics as organizers brushed off a report claiming officials think cancellation is inevitable.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga made the comment Friday after The Times cited an unnamed government source saying the postponed Olympics will have to be called off and that the country was shifting focus to hosting in 2032.

Tokyo organizers, when asked about the report, said they were focused on delivering a "safe and secure" Games this year.

In a statement they explained the government was leading a series of coordination meetings for COVID-19 countermeasures and implementing thorough infection countermeasures in order to be able to hold the event.

A day earlier, International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach told Kyodo News they have "no reason whatsoever to believe that the Olympic Games in Tokyo will not open on the 23rd of July."

He also said there is "no Plan B."

Concerns have risen about the fate of the Games as Japan battles a third wave of the virus, with Tokyo and other prefectures under a state of emergency to counter rising infections.