Tokyo Olympics News :Protesters demostrate against Tokyo Olympics following Bach delays his visit

Around 30 anti-Olympics demonstrators gathered with signs and chants in front of a main train station in Tokyo on Monday. IOC President Thomas Bach was supposed to visit the country before he cancelled his trip on 10th May because of surging cases of COVID-19 in the country. "Bach isn't coming means it's a situation in which he cannot come and that implicitly recognizes Japan's emergency situation," said Hiroshi Hoshino, 71 year-old Japanese participant in the demonstration. A survey published Monday by the Asahi newspaper showed more than 80% of 1,527 respondents said the games should be canceled or further postponed. The same survey found only one in three approves Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's government, the lowest rate since his inauguration last September when he enjoyed support ratings as high as 70%. On Sunday, the Suga administration expanded the ongoing coronavirus state of emergency for Tokyo and five other prefectures to nine areas, encompassing homes to over 40% of the nation's population affected by the resurgence fueled by more contagious variant of the virus detected earlier in Britain. Japan had 683,175 cases and 11,508 deaths as of Saturday. Japan has been struggling to slow infections ahead of the games. The three additions are Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, where the Olympic marathon will be held, and Hiroshima and Okayama in western Japan. The three additional areas will join Tokyo, Osaka and four other prefectures already under the emergency coronavirus restrictions through May 31, Suga announced at a government taskforce meeting Friday. Bars, karaoke parlors and most entertainment facilities are required to close. Business owners who comply will be compensated; those who don't could face fines. An online petition with more than 350,000 signatures calling for the Tokyo Games to be canceled was also submitted Friday to local organizers, the International Olympic Committee and others.