Money, politics and split opinion in Japan on 'grand gift' of Tokyo Olympics

An illustration shared onsocial mediashows International Olympic Committee presidentThomas Bach wearing a face mask and cheerfully waving, while the accompanying text conveys the message thatpeople in Japandon'tnecessarily want to reciprocate.

"We can't wave back meaning we're pretty depressed, it's a bit of an emergency," said Hyung-Gu Lynn, a professor in the Asian studies department at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. He describesanambivalent mood in Japan,addressed in a recent meme, ahead of the pending Olympics.

Thepandemic-adjusted TokyoGames get underway on July 23under a state of emergency in the capital and amid opposition from those who fear the potential public health consequences of what's to come.

Experts say the momentum to move forwardis powered by the billions of dollars already spentto stage the summer spectacle a tangled knot of politics and obligations as well as theconfidence that Japancan successfully manage any coronavirus risks while putting on an Olympic show.

That's not to saythepublic feels the same urgency to go ahead with the Games, whichwere supposed to be held lastyear.

"I think the public attitudeis one of irritation or resignation, I would have to say," saidLynn, citingpolls that have shown a majority of Japanese being opposed to the Games.

"There are some people who say: 'Why not?'"

There are also those who continue to activelyprotest against the Games, like the 40 or so people who gathered Saturday outside the five-star hotel where the IOC presidentis self-isolating.

"Heseems not to have thought anything about our critical situation and suffering, which makes me more angry," protester Ayako Yoshida said.

Worth the money?

On paper, the Tokyo Games have an official cost of$15.4 billion US, though audits suggest it's substantially higher than that.

The money has been spent and a new national stadium has been built, even though there will be a lack of sports fans fillingthe seats of Tokyo-area Olympic facilities as well as those as in the prefectures of Hokkaido and Fukushima due to COVID-19 concerns.

"The big thing is the money," said HannahHolmes, an assistant economics professor at McMaster University in Hamilton.

"Will they ever get that money back out of it? Arguably, they're not going to now because of the lack of fans being able to attend."

But it's not just the size of the investment;it's what Japan is getting for it or not getting for it, according to some Olympics watchers.

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Robert Dekle, an economics professor at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles, said there are many in Japan who simply "don't see the benefit of it."

These critics question why Japan is having the Olympics at all. Dekle said that was true for some even before COVID-19 arrived.

With less than two weeks to go before the Games, Japan isseeing a climbin COVID-19 cases, with health officials reporting 950 new infections on Saturday the highest count in about two months and the 21st day in a row that infections were higher than the week previous.

Less than one-fifth, or 16.8 per cent,of the population is fully vaccinated. About 15,000 deaths in Japan have been attributed to COVID-19.

To limit the risk of any spread during the Games,the thousandsof visiting athletes areexpected to stay in their Olympic accommodations or venues, following strict guidelines containedina rulebook.

The politics

Japan won the bid for the Games eight years ago, at a time when Shinzo Abe led the government.

He stepped down last year over health concerns and was succeeded by Yoshihide Suga. Hyung-Gu Lynn of UBC said there is pressure on the current prime minister to deliver what Abe had promised.

"The Olympics are supposed to be former prime minister Abe's departinggrand gift to the country," he said. "SoSuga is simply implementing the plan ... set by his predecessor."

Beyond that, Lynn said that Sugahas an opportunityto build support within his party for his continued leadership, if the Games are a success.

Of course, the International Olympic Committee has a clear interest in seeing the Games through.

Broadcast rights and sponsorshipsare key to the IOC's operations, with some estimates suggesting a cancelled Olympicscould cost billions in lost revenues.

"You can't neglect the push from the IOC to persevere," Holmes of McMaster University said, noting that broadcast rights are "pretty much their only revenue"given the lack of spectatorsin the stands this year.

The potential payoff

Dekleof USC believes Japan is well equipped to deliver the Olympicsdespitethechallenges.

"My sense is that it'll turn out more positive than the people of Japan think," said Dekle, who expects Japan will reap a PR boost by pulling off a successful Games.

Vijay Setlur, a marketing instructor at York University's Schulich School of Business in Toronto, said it will be a win for Japan if there are no major problems at theGames.

"If they're able to maintain a healthy Olympics where no athletes contract the virus and ... no volunteers or workers do the same, then I think that would be considered a success," he said.