Tokyo Olympics Slated to Take Place in July Despite Covid-19

"We are constantly being told that we cannot meet up with other people or see friends and family, that we have to always sanitize our hands and be careful whenever we go out," she said.

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"But now they insist that it's perfectly safe to hold an event that is going to bring thousands of people together in a confined space. To me, that makes no sense."

Yet others are more optimistic, with Yoichi Shimada, a professor at Fukui Prefectural University insisting that the government is right to push ahead with an occasion that the entire world will be watching.

"To cancel the games at this late stage would cause chaos and be terribly expensive," he told DW. "The authorities have already been carrying out tests at baseball stadiums and sumo tournaments, so they are learning about how to control crowds and keep everyone safe.

"I agree with the prime minister's comments that Japan can use the games to show that the world has defeated the virus and that it will serve as a milestone in the fight against coronavirus," he said. "A successful Olympics will bring renewed hope to the world."