Japan will not send govt delegation to Beijing Olympics
(VOVWORLD) - Japan will not send a government delegation to next year's Winter Olympics in Beijing, it said on Friday, a move that stops short of joining a US-led diplomatic boycott of the Games.
 Olympic rings are seen at the National Ski Jumping Centre during a government-organised media tour to Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics venues in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, China December 21, 2021. (Photo: REUTERS) |
The boycott, driven by Washington and including some of its allies, has become another delicate issue for Japan, a close partner of the United States that also has strong economic ties to China.
Tokyo will not send a government delegation to the Games set to start in February, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a news briefing.
Instead, it will send some officials with direct ties to the Games, including politician Seiko Hashimoto, head of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee, as well as the heads of the domestic Olympic and Paralympic committees.