This time it is a voice that carries more than that of the fifty demonstrators present every day in front of the Olympic stadium in Tokyo to protest against the holding of the next Olympics in the Japanese capital while the Covid-19 pandemic is still at a worrying level in the country.
This time, it's a big boss who speaks.
The Tokyo Olympics this summer would be a "suicide mission" as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to rage around the world, said Hiroshi Mikitani, the boss of the Japanese online shopping giant Rakuten.
"It is dangerous to host the big international event from all over the world," said the CEO of Rakuten in an interview with CNN.
"So the risk is too great and ... I am against holding the Tokyo Olympics this year," he said, describing the Games as "a suicide mission".
Japan extended the coronavirus state of emergency on Friday as the country battles a fourth wave of viral infections, which is putting pressure on its healthcare system.
Health professionals have already warned on several occasions against medical shortages and the exhaustion of teams.
Just over ten weeks before the Games start, slated for July 23, public opinion remains divided, with most Japanese in favor of a further postponement or cancellation.
Friday, a petition to cancel the Tokyo Olympics which has collected more than 351,000 signatures was delivered to the governor of the city.
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Mikitani, who has criticized the way the government has handled the epidemic and the organization of the Games this year, said it was not too late to cancel the event: “Anything is possible”.
But organizers say they can host the Olympics safely thanks to virus-fighting measures and point to a series of recent successful test events, some with foreign athletes. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga also told reporters last Friday that “it is possible to organize safe and secure Games. We want to firmly continue the preparations ”.
