Protesters march in front of a government building during a demonstration against the Tokyo Olympics. Photo: Yuichi Yamazaki/Getty Images
President Biden reaffirmed his support for the Summer Olympics in Tokyo during a meeting this weekend with Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide at the G7 summit.
State of play: The games are scheduled to run from July 23 to August 8 and come as Japan navigates recent spikes in coronavirus cases.
- The State Department issued a "Do Not Travel" warning last month — with the highest cautionary level the department puts out.
The Tokyo Medical Practitioners Association, a group of around 6,000 doctors, had previously written a letter calling for Japan to cancel the Olympics.
- A few weeks ago, Japan extended a state of emergency in the country through at least June 20 in response to the influx of cases.
What they're saying: The U.S. president expressed "support for the Tokyo Olympic Games moving forward with all public health measures necessary to protect athletes, staff and spectators," per a White House readout of Biden's conversation with Suga.
- “President Biden expressed pride in the U.S. athletes who have trained for the Tokyo Games and will be competing in the best traditions of the Olympic spirit."
Go deeper: Japan extends coronavirus state of emergency weeks before Olympics.