Tokyo counts down again, but not all Japanese counting on Summer Games

It's one year out from the 2020 Olympic Games, with Tokyo hitting that mark on Thursday－again. Few in the host city are in the mood to celebrate as a raging coronavirus pandemic fuels doubts about whether the rescheduled Summer Games will go ahead at all.

When Tokyo residents first saw the countdown clock tick over into the final year of an expectant wait, it was a different story. That was before the coronavirus forced the postponement of the Olympics to July 23, 2021.

The decision in March to delay the Games－along with the Paralympic Games－came as the real scale of the pandemic began to emerge and countries imposed lockdowns that threw training into chaos and forced the cancellation of qualifiers and test events.

Lockdowns have since eased in many places, but elsewhere the virus continues to rage－or authorities are warning of a second wave. Tokyo itself logged a record 366 new infections on Thursday, with the city's governor asking residents to stay home over a four-day holiday weekend.

On July 24, 2019, when Tokyo was celebrating the year-to-go mark in the original countdown to the Games, fireworks were cascading over Tokyo Bay while celebrities unveiled the athletes' medals in a highly choreographed show.

This year, organizers produced a 15-minute, no-fans event inside the national stadium that was renovated for the Games.

The low-key event on a rainy day captured the local mood. A poll carried out days earlier by Kyodo News found that the Japanese are lukewarm at best on the Games, and many doubt they will even go ahead. The poll showed that 23.9 percent favored holding the Olympics, 36.4 percent said they should be postponed again, and 33.7 percent said the event should be canceled.

But the city organizers and the International Olympic Committee have ruled out another postponement. The Tokyo Games would be canceled this time if they can't be held.

Estimates in Japan suggest the postponement will cost $2 billion to $6 billion. The IOC and the organizers acknowledge the "massive costs" but say it's too early to give a number.

Wang Xingyu, an associate professor at the School of International Relations at Renmin University of China, said the Japanese government wants to use the Games to revive the country's economy, boost solidarity among its people and build a positive international image.

"Japan is facing the dilemma of insufficient foreign trade and domestic demand, and greatly needs a stimulus similar to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Abenomics hopes to use the Olympics as leverage to boost the country's tourism, manufacturing and service industries," the academic said in referring to policies advocated by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Thomas Bach, the International Olympic Committee president, said that the Tokyo Games will be "a symbol of hope" for the world.

"This Olympic Games in Tokyo in '21 can, should and will be the light at the end of the tunnel.... At the end of this very difficult period for humankind," Bach said.

Agencies contributed to this story.