Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2020
Subject: Japanese civil society has crossed the Rubicon


Dear President Thomas Bach,

I am sending you my personal observation.
Japanese media and civil society seem to have crossed the Rubicon as regards the Olympic Games.
There are increasing press articles foreseeing its cancellation. The latest outstanding example is the weekly magazine "SHUKAN ASAHI" published this week with the headline "The Tokyo Olympic hopeless !". The Asahi Newspaper ,the Mainichi Newspaper and the Tokyo Newspaper are increasingly publishing pessimistic articles.
According　to　the　latest　public　opinion　poll　made　by　the　Kyodo News, and the NHK,７０％ and 65% of the public are asking　for　the　cancellation respectively.
I have already informed you of the demonstrations in Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo requesting the cancellation that are to take place on 24 and 25 July.
An art gallery in front of the National Stadium in Gaienmae, Shibuya, has organized an exposition entitled "The End of the Olympic Games"!
I cannot but conclude that Japanese civil society has crossed the Rubicon.
I wish to express my heartfelt support for your endeavor to overcome the serious Olympic crisis.

With warmest and highest regards,

Mitsuhei Murata
Former Japanese Ambassador to Switzerland




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