While Shigeru Omi may invite comparisons to leading U.S. doctor Anthony Fauci, Japan’s top COVID-19 adviser had shown little of his American counterpart’s flair for challenging politicians. That is, until he started suggesting banning spectators from the Tokyo Olympics.
Omi, the government’s top adviser on COVID-19, is a mild-mannered 72-year-old public health expert often seen by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s side. But his concern over plans reported in the media to allow domestic spectators seems to have prompted him to question the government’s push to have fans attend Olympic events.
Omi appeared to open a gap with Suga, who has pressed ahead with holding the Olympics as planned, when he told a parliamentary committee on June 2 that "it’s not normal” to be staging the global sports spectacle in the middle of a pandemic. The organizers needed to make a stronger case for holding the event in order to gain people’s necessary cooperation, he said.