Many will cheer on the Games. But we should also understand the host nation’s reluctance

After a year and a half of the pandemic, the world is short of causes for celebration. Diversion, spectacle and surprise may never have been more welcome. At a time of growing divisions between and within countries, shared interests and endeavours are welcome. Despite their muted atmosphere, the Olympics and Paralympics are likely to raise spirits internationally, with viewers cheering on extraordinary feats of human achievement.

Japan, however, has embarked on these events feeling anxious and resentful. The last Games in Tokyo, in 1964, epitomised and accelerated the country’s remarkable modernisation and reentry to the international community after the second world war. The 2020 Olympics were supposed to cement its resurgence from the horrors of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown 10 years ago. When postponed, they were rebranded as the moment the world would revel in its escape from Covid-19. But with the pandemic raging globally, the public fears increased infection or imported variants from tens of thousands of visitors descending upon a country where fewer than a quarter of people are fully vaccinated. A state of emergency is already in place in Tokyo, with cases at a six-month high.