[ti:Japan’s Leader Faces Criticism for Pressing Plans for Olympic Games] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Japan's government is facing criticism [00:04.40]for pressing its plans to hold the Tokyo Olympics [00:09.52]even as the country deals with the coronavirus health crisis. [00:16.60]More than 300,000 people have signed a petition [00:21.80]calling for a cancellation of the Games, [00:25.56]which are set to open on July 23. [00:30.48]The 2020 Summer Olympics were delayed [00:34.44]because of the coronavirus pandemic. [00:38.04]A Japanese newspaper advertisement [00:42.20]said people were in danger of being "killed by politics." [00:48.96]It suggested the government is not doing enough [00:53.16]to fight the pandemic and vaccines are not widely available. [01:00.12]Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has repeatedly stated [01:05.56]that the government is continuing with plans to hold the Olympics. [01:12.20]He has promised that the games will happen safely and securely. [01:18.96]Some Japanese lawmakers have questioned those statements [01:23.56]as some hospitals still struggle to find beds [01:28.28]for those sick with COVID-19. [01:31.76]On Wednesday, officials in some parts of Japan [01:36.40]extended a state of emergency as virus cases continued to rise. [01:44.68]Last month, Suga declared a third state of emergency in Osaka, [01:51.56]the center of the current rise in virus cases, [01:55.88]as well as in Tokyo and two other areas. [02:01.60]That has since been extended through May 31. [02:07.16]On Wednesday, two more areas, Aichi in central Japan [02:12.72]and Fukuoka in the south, were placed under emergency measures. [02:19.96]It is estimated that only 1 percent of the Japanese public [02:25.20]has so far been fully vaccinated although millions of vaccine doses [02:31.92]sit unused in very low temperature storage. [02:37.64]The newspaper ad stated: "No vaccine. No medication. [02:43.36]Are we supposed to fight with bamboo spears? [02:47.24]We'll be killed by politics if things remain unchanged." [02:54.20]The ad was created by Tokyo-based publisher Takarajimasha. [03:00.80]The company is known for speaking out on political and social issues. [03:08.32]It urged the public to demand that the government [03:12.52]end poorly planned coronavirus measures. [03:17.28]"We have been deceived. What was the past year for?" it said. [03:23.68]The ad brought a lot of attention on social media. [03:28.64]It said many Japanese have faced medical [03:32.80]and financial problems with little government support. [03:37.68]But there was also wide public interest [03:41.60]in a parliament meeting in which numerous [03:44.84]opposition lawmakers questioned Suga. [03:48.72]People want to know how he could guarantee a safe Olympics [03:53.92]during an expanded state of emergency. [03:58.76]Suga avoided giving a direct answer, saying repeatedly [04:04.28]that he was committed to holding the games safely [04:08.48]and to protecting people's lives and health. [04:13.76]Videos of Suga's comments were shared widely on social media, [04:19.72]with some people posting critical statements [04:23.16]such as "The prime minister is broken." [04:27.60]Suga and his government have faced criticism [04:31.88]for being too slow and soft on virus measures. [04:37.44]Japan has been able to keep its number of virus cases and deaths [04:43.56]below those in the U.S. and Europe [04:46.52]without lockdowns and other restrictive measures. [04:51.64]But the results are worse than in some other parts of Asia. [04:57.36]Japan has also fallen far behind in vaccinations. [05:02.92]Though officials blame a lack of supplies imported from Europe, [05:08.36]progress has been slowed because of staff shortages. [05:14.12]About 7.6 million doses, [05:18.04]or more than half of all shots received, [05:21.56]remain unused in freezers. [05:25.68]The president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee, [05:30.24]Seiko Hashimoto, said Wednesday that Japanese athletes [05:35.76]were likely to get vaccines before the games begin. [05:41.28]"In the case of Japan, the vaccination of the citizens [05:45.96]isn't going very well," she said. [05:49.52]"Not much progress is being made." [05:53.84]Hashimoto added that because this is seen by the public [05:58.80]as giving Olympic athletes special treatment, [06:02.64]"this gives rise to dissatisfaction [06:06.60]among the citizens toward the games." [06:10.64]I'm Bryan Lynn. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM