Japan PM will not attend Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony

The Guardian says Japan’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida, has said he will not attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, but it is not clear if the country will join a US-led diplomatic boycott of the Games over human rights abuses.

Speaking in parliament on Thursday, Kishida said: “I have no plans at this point to attend” and did not clarify if Japan would send any officials to the event, amid reports that it was unlikely to snub the hosts altogether.

Kishida has said only that he will make a decision, possibly by the end of the year, based on Japan’s “national interest”, while media reports said ministers and politicians were likely to skip the Games, with Japan opting instead for the “face-saving” option of sending officials connected to Tokyo 2020, including the president of the organising committee, Seiko Hashimoto.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/dec/16/japan-pm-will-not-attend-beijing-winter-olympics-opening-ceremony