Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Thursday that he will not be attending the Beijing Winter Games. But as of now, Japan still has not made a decision on whether or not Tokyo should send a delegation, and, if it does, on the composition of that delegation.
Japanese media appears divided over Tokyo¡¯s possible response. While liberal papers have either been silent or declined to take a position, other dailies are more insistent. The Nikkei, an economic daily, for example, wrote in an editorial: ¡°Even if it is not a complete diplomatic boycott, we should take some measures such as adjusting the scale and level of the delegation.¡±
A more conservative Sankei editorial argued that the government should not send a delegation ¡°including the prime minister, Cabinet ministers and the head of the sports agency.¡± The conservative Yomiuri Shimbun was less critical but claimed ¡°we must not allow the peace festival to become a propaganda venue for China.¡±
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