04 疫情反复，日本再面临闭门办奥运压力

在距离东京奥运会开幕不到3周的时间里，日本疫情再次加重，令围绕是否“闭门”举办奥运会的辩论陷入白热化。

全文共611个词，by Robin Harding in Tokyo

The Japanese government is under pressure to reverse course and hold the Tokyo Olympics behind closed doors as Covid-19 cases rise in the capital.

随着东京的新冠肺炎确诊病例数量不断攀升，日本政府面临压力，要求其改变做法、闭门举办东京奥运会（Tokyo Olympics）。

After bottoming out at fewer than 400 cases a day in mid-June, the number of new diagnoses has climbed to almost 600 a day, raising fears of a full-blown surge when the games are held between July 23 and August 8.

在经历 6月中旬单日新增确诊病例数量不到400例的低点后，目前单日新增确诊病例数量已攀升至近600例。这让人们担心 7月23日至8月8日东京奥运会举办期间感染人数会全面激增。

The increasing cases count has highlighted the risk taken by Yoshihide Suga, Japan’s prime minister, in choosing to ignore his medical advisers and allow the games to go ahead with up to 10,000 fans in stadiums.

不断攀升的病例数突显了日本首相菅义伟（Yoshihide Suga）所冒的风险。菅义伟选择无视他的医疗顾问，决定每场比赛允许不超过1万名观众进入场馆观看。

It also reflected the growing presence in Japan of the more infectious Delta variant of Covid-19 and the delayed progress of its inoculation campaign, which has administered a first dose to 24 per cent of the population.

这也反映出传染性更强的新冠病毒Delta变种在日本的扩散，以及疫苗接种工作进展迟缓。日本目前只有24%的人口接种了第一剂疫苗。

The organisers of Tokyo 2020 said they have delayed a ticket lottery until Saturday as the debate on spectators comes to a head. Japan decided just two weeks ago to let some fans attend.

随着围绕观众的争论变得白热化，东京奥运会的主办方表示已将门票抽签推迟至周六。就在两周前，日本决定让一部分观众在现场观看比赛。

Suga lifted a Covid-19 state of emergency in Tokyo on June 20. Since then, the city has been under a “quasi state of emergency”, during which restaurants are asked but not compelled to stop serving alcohol by 7pm and to close by 8pm.

6月 20日，菅义伟宣布东京解除新冠疫情紧急状态。自那以来，东京就一直处于“半紧急状态”，在此期间，日本政府呼吁但不强制餐厅晚上7点前停止供应酒精饮料，并于晚上8点关门。

The restrictions were meant to end this weekend, but officials said the government was considering whether to maintain them throughout the Olympics. If cases keep rising, Suga could also be forced to declare a full emergency.

这些限制本应在本周末解除，但日本官员表示，政府正在考虑是否在奥运会期间继续这些措施。如果病例数持续增加，菅义伟也可能被迫宣布日本进入紧急状态。

Many Olympic events have been scheduled for the evening to avoid the worst heat of the Japanese summer, but it will be hard to justify stadiums full of spectators if all of the nearby restaurants have been asked to close.

许多奥运项目都安排在晚上进行，在日本酷暑时节避开白天的高温，但如果体育馆附近的餐厅被要求歇业，那么当局就很难有理由允许体育馆坐满观众。

Katsunobu Kato, chief cabinet secretary, insisted that the decision on spectators was one for the organisers and the governor of Tokyo rather than the government alone. “We will make an appropriate judgment based on the state of infections and the [virus countermeasures] in place,” he said.

日本内阁官房长官加藤胜信（Katsunobu Kato）坚称，有关观众的决定应由奥组委和东京市长做出，而不是由日本政府单独做出。他表示：“我们将基于感染状况和已有（抗疫措施）做出适当判断。”

Speaking after his ruling coalition fell short of a majority in Tokyo municipal elections at the weekend, Suga said the government would have to decide soon on whether to extend the quasi state of emergency.

菅义伟领导的执政联盟在上周末东京都议会选举中未能获得多数席位，随后菅义伟在讲话中表示，政府将不得不尽快决定是否延长现在的半紧急状态。

Separately, Shinzo Abe, former prime minister, attacked those who support cancelling the Olympics as “anti-Japanese”. He singled out the Communist party and the centre-left Asahi newspaper.

此外，前首相安倍晋三（Shinzo Abe）抨击了支持取消奥运会的人，称他们“反日”。他点名批评了日本共产党和中左翼报纸《朝日新闻》（Asahi）。

In an interview with local magazine Hanada, Abe said that the emotion of the games and Japanese athletes winning medals would confirm the bonds between the Japanese people. He added that a successful games would have “historic meaning” and that the country had a duty to go ahead.

安倍在接受当地杂志《Hanada》采访时表示，奥运会和日本选手赢得奖牌所引起的情感将巩固日本人之间的羁绊。他补充说，一场成功的奥运会将具有“历史意义”，而且日本有责任将奥运办下去。