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Tokyo 2020 sponsor Toyota withdraws Games TV commercials due to lack of support
Chief Executive Oficer of Toyota Motor, Akio Toyoda, will not attend the opening ceremony, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Monday.
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Toyoda, an uncle of current Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda, died of pneumonia on December 30, the firm said in a statement. (Shutterstock/File)
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okyo 2020 Olympics sponsor Toyota will not run Games-related TV commercials because of lacklustre public support for the Olympics, with two-thirds of Japanese doubting a safe Games can be held during the COVID-19 pandemic, local media reported.
Chief Executive Oficer of Toyota Motor, Akio Toyoda, will not attend the opening ceremony, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Monday.
Read also: Troubled Tokyo Olympics near finish line with one month to go
Toyota did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Some 60 Japanese corporations who have paid more than $3 billion for sponsorship rights to the postponed 2020 Olympics now face a a dilemma of whether or not to tie their brands to an event that has so far failed to win strong public backing.
Two-thirds of people in Japan doubt the country can host a safe and secure Olympics amid a fresh wave of coronavirus infections, according to a survey published by the Asahi newspaper just four days before the opening ceremony in Tokyo.
In the poll, 68 percent of respondents expressed doubt about the ability of Olympic organisers to control coronavirus infections, with 55 percent saying they were opposed to the Games going ahead.
Three-quarters of the 1,444 people in the telephone survey said they agreed with a decision to ban spectators from events.
As COVID-19 cases rise in Tokyo, which is under a fourth state of emergency, public concern has grown that hosting an event with tens of thousands of overseas athletes, officials and journalists could accelerate infection rates in Japan's capital and introduce variants that are more infectious or deadlier.
Read also: International spectators to be barred from Olympics in Japan
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach has said he hopes the Japanese public will warm to the Games once competition begins and as Japanese athletes begin winning medals. The Tokyo Olympics run July 23 through Aug. 8.
"We will continue to co-operate and work closely with organisers such as Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo 2020, and the IOC to ensure we have a safe and secure environment for the Games," government spokesperson, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said at a regular briefing.
