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 th