Shigeru Omi, head of the Japanese government's coronavirus countermeasures subcommittee, speaks at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo in this file photo taken on Aug. 17, 2021. (Pool photo)

       TOKYO -- Shigeru Omi, head of the Japanese government's coronavirus countermeasures subcommittee, has criticized International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach's revisit to the country for the Tokyo Paralympic Games' opening ceremony, saying: "Why has he come? He went to Ginza once. Why can't he attend (the ceremony) online if necessary?"

       Omi's comment came as a response to a question about Bach's latest visit by Kanako Otsuji, a lawmaker of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, during an Aug. 25 out-of-session meeting of the House of Representatives Health, Labor and Welfare Committee.

       Emphasizing that he was giving his opinion "as an ordinary member of the public, rather than as an expert," Omi said that from a commonsense perspective, he feels Bach was capable of making the decision to attend online. He added that though many people want the Paralympics to be held, he "strongly wonders" why President Bach has come again.

       Bach stirred controversy by visiting Tokyo's Ginza shopping district after the Olympics' closing ceremony. He returned home after that, but returned to Japan on Aug. 23 to attend the Paralympics' opening ceremony on Aug. 24 at the invitation of the International Paralympic Committee.

       The Japanese government has indicated it does not see Bach's Ginza visit as a problem, saying, "Whether it's nonessential or nonurgent is something that he should decide," but Omi, who has been urging people to take thorough measures against the coronavirus including teleworking, seemed to have released his frustration in the meeting.

       (Japanese original by Ryosuke Abe, Lifestyle and Medical News Department)

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