Toyota backs away from Olympics

Toyota and several other Japanese corporations are backing away from the Tokyo Olympic Games as domestic opposition for the COVID-affected event continues to grow.

As one of the primary corporate sponsors of the Olympics, Toyota will continue to provide around 3300 vehicles to aid with logistics for the global event, but will pull domestic advertising related to the games and CEO Akio Toyoda will no longer attend the opening ceremony.

The moves follow a public backlash from Japanese citizens, many of whom are voicing their concerns over the game’s safety, given the number of international athletes who are flooding into the city.

Some of them have already tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, including two members from the South African soccer team.

Set to commence this Friday (July 23) after a 12-month delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, Tokyo’s 2020 Olympic Games were supposed to be a springboard for Toyota to spruik its high-tech future plans to the world, including a flying car that is rumoured to be part of the opening ceremony.

With no spectators allowed at the games due to a sharp rise in the number of COVID-19 infections in Tokyo, the company has back-pedalled in response to growing public unease around the games.

Toyota’s chief communication officer, Jun Nagata, told Japanese media it is becoming more difficult to support the Tokyo Olympics for “various reasons”.

“We want to give top priority to helping the athletes concentrate and perform at their highest level,” said Nagata, as reported by Yomiuri Shimbun.

But he added: “The Games have become misunderstood in many ways.”

Other corporate sponsors such as NEC and Fujistu, have also confirmed their CEOs will not attend the opening ceremony of the Tokyo games.

There are still calls from the Japanese public to cancel the Olympics but the government says they will go ahead.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Olympics organisers say the two-week event will be “safe and secure” but 87 per cent of respondents in a weekend poll by Kyodo News expressed concern over Tokyo hosting the games, and almost a third said it should be cancelled.

Toyota’s Olympic advertising outside of Japan is expected to continue as normal and Toyota Australia says there are currently no changes planned for its local advertising.