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A man walks behind the Olympic Rings installed in front of the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo. (AFP/Yonhap News)

A new survey has found that 83% of Japanese citizens believe the Tokyo Olympics, scheduled to begin on July 23, should be canceled or postponed.

As COVID-19 continues to spread and Japan’s vaccine rollout experiences delays, the approval ratings of Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party have fallen to a new low.

After conducting an opinion poll of 1,527 people on Saturday and Sunday, the Asahi Shimbun reported Monday that 43% of respondents believed the Tokyo Olympics should be canceled, while 40% thought the event should be postponed once again.

Only 14% were in favor of the Olympics going ahead. Despite Suga’s emphasis on holding the Olympics safely, 73% of respondents said they were “not convinced.”

Suga’s approval rating in the survey was 33%, showing a seven percentage point decrease over the previous month. This is equal to the approval rating from January this year, the lowest level since taking office.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on his plummeting approval rating, with 67% of respondents viewing the Suga administration’s COVID-19 response in a negative light.

Moreover, 66% of respondents believed “the government is largely responsible” for the country’s slow vaccine rollout.

The approval rating of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party also fell by five percentage points from the previous month to reach a new low of 30%.

By Kim So-youn, staff reporter

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