His Majesty the Emperor is 'concerned about the spread of infection due to the hosting of the Olympics and Paralympics,' says IHA Secretary
In a regular press conference on Thursday, Yasuhiko Nishimura, secretary of the Imperial Household Agency, said that His Majesty is concerned about the spread of the new coronavirus and that "I understand that he is concerned about whether the hosting of Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic will lead to the spread of the infection.”
https://digital.asahi.com/articles/ASP6S54Z2P6SUTIL02L.html?iref=pc_extlink
Secretary Nishimura also said, "I hope
that they will take all possible measures to prevent the spread of infection at
the Olympic and Paralympic Games, where His Majesty will serve as honorary
president.
The Japanese Constitution stipulates that
the Emperor shall not be involved in national affairs (Articles 3 and 4), and
it is extremely unusual for the Emperor to express such concern, even
indirectly. It is believed that the Secretary of the IHA attempted to strike a
balance between the symbolic emperor system and the Emperor’s strong feeling by
taking the form of saying that he had "inspected" the feeling.
Article of the Constitution of Japan
http://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/law/detail/?id=174
At his birthday press conference in
February of this year, His Majesty the Emperor did not mention a word about the
hosting of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. It was widely believed that this
was in response to the public's anxiety over the spread of coronary infection
triggered by the hosting of the games. At the Japan Academy Prize awarding
ceremony held this month, His Majesty also referred to the corona disaster as
follows:
"At present, countries around the
world, including Japan, are facing a very severe challenge in the form of the
spread of a new coronavirus infection. In order to overcome this ordeal, it is
important for all of us, whether at home or abroad, to work together with even
greater unity of mind.”
The "concern of His Majesty" conveyed by Secretary Nishimura has been met with a series of voices on the Internet expressing their support, saying "His Majesty is close to the hearts of the people" and "I hope the government will take it seriously.” On the other hand, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato said on the 24th, "I understand that the Director General of the Imperial Household Agency expressed his own view" in response to this statement.
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