More companies pull out of Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony

Tokyo

MORE Japanese companies have decided against sending executives to Friday's opening ceremony for the Tokyo Olympics as concerns about holding the games during the pandemic grow.

Senior officials from Nippon Telegraph & Telephone (NTT), Fujitsu, and NEC Corp will skip the event given that organisers decided to hold the games without spectators, spokespeople for the technology giants said on Tuesday, a day after Toyota Motor announced its top executive would not attend.

Japan's pledge to hold a safe and secure games is coming under threat as Covid-19 cases jump in Tokyo and visiting athletes test positive for the virus.

In a fresh public relations setback, Japanese musician Keigo Oyamada, known as Cornelius, quit the team creating the opening ceremony after acknowledging he bullied school classmates with disabilities years ago.

The games will be the first in modern history to be held without spectators, after Tokyo entered another state of emergency that will run throughout the tournament.

Meiji Holdings and Asahi Group Holdings had already decided executives would not go to the opening ceremony, and Nippon Life Insurance bosses will also stay away, representatives said. Toyota president Akio Toyoda will miss the event, the automaker said on Monday.

Japanese public support for the Olympics is mixed at best, raising questions over the merits of marketing the competition.

Toyota will not air local television advertisements during the games, despite being among the global sponsors. Bridgestone had already decided not to broadcast commercials, a spokesperson for the tyre-maker said.

NTT plans to broadcast commercials featuring athletes, although it has yet make a final decision.

Nomura Holdings and Mizuho Financial Group plan to continue airing ads, said spokespeople. Eneos Holdings is seeking to do the same, although it may change its ad policy depending on the situation, a representative for the petroleum refiner said. BLOOMBERG