BRUSSELS: The EU and Japan said Thursday they backed the holding of a “safe and secure” Olympic Games despite calls for the event to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We support the holding of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 in a safe and secure manner this summer as a symbol of global unity in defeating COVID-19,” the two sides said in a statement following a video summit between EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel and Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

Several parts of Japan are under a state of emergency because of a surge in infections, and the Japanese public is largely opposed to holding the Games this summer.

Medical groups have warned the massive event could introduce new variants to Japan and strain medical resources as the country battles a fourth virus wave.

Organizers have already barred overseas fans from the Tokyo Games, an unprecedented decision for the Olympics.

A decision on domestic spectators is expected in late June.

European Commission chief von der Leyen insisted the leaders said “we’re looking forward to the Olympic Games” during their video talks.

She pointed to the EU’s authorization for more than 100 million doses of vaccines to be exported to Japan as “a strong sign that we support any preparation for the Olympic Games, and the safety of these Games”.

Japan is the largest importer of vaccines from the EU — but authorities in the country face criticism over the slow rate of inoculations that has left it lagging behind other developed economies.

The Olympic Games run for just over two weeks from July 23, with the Paralympics due to start on Aug. 24. Foreign spectators have been banned and a decision on domestic ones is expected next month.

The head of Japan’s doctor’s union warned on Tuesday that hosting thousands of athletes and officials could lead to the emergence of an “Olympic” virus strain.

“We have indicated we are engaged with the authorities of his country to take all the precautionary measures required,” European Council president Charles Michel said after his video meeting with von der Leyen and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

The leaders also discussed cooperation on climate change, trade and foreign and security policy, saying they were committed to a “free and open” Indo-Pacific region, unconstrained by coercion.

Japanese deputy chief cabinet secretary Naoki Okada told a separate briefing that the two sides agreed to oppose unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East and South China Seas, echoing a G7 statement on the disputed waters earlier in May.

AFP and Reuters