The billionaire founder and chief executive of Japanese online retailer Rakuten Group Inc. called the Tokyo Olympics a "suicide mission” in an interview with broadcaster CNN.

Hiroshi Mikitani, who has been an outspoken critic of the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, said the sporting event, due to start in two months, should not be held this year. His comments came as Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga reiterated on Friday that it was possible to hold the games safely.

"The fact that we are so late for the vaccination, it’s really dangerous to host the big international event,” Mikitani said in the interview, which was posted on CNN’s website. "This is like a suicide mission,” he added.