Opinions on Whether Olympics Should be Cancelled

A Third of the Japanese Surveyed Believe The Olympic Games Should Be Cancelled Altogether
With COVID-19 still ravaging different parts of the world, many in Japan are uncertain about the Olympic Games proceeding, even in 2021. A survey in August showed that 33.7% of 1000+ respondents believe that the Tokyo Olympic Games should be cancelled altogether while another 36.4% believe that it should be postponed further.

75.3% of respondents believed that the pandemic would not be contained anytime soon as their reason for their desire to cancel or postpone the Games. 12.7% indicated that they wanted the Japanese government to prioritize fighting the virus more while a further 5.3% pointed to the additional costs to be too high.

6.6 Magnitude Quake Hits Japan Coast

A 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit Japan's coast Monday night.

A preliminary estimate put the quake's magnitude at 7.1, which was later lowered to 6.6, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A series of smaller quakes continued to shake the region. Residents in Tokyo also felt the jolts.

A tsunami warning issued by Japan's Meteorological Agency was later canceled.

Monday's initial quake was centered about 101 miles northeast of Tokyo, or about 31 miles southwest of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Workers at the plant were asked to evacuate for a time, but later returned to resume their efforts to cool the troubled nuclear facility.

The latest aftershock came almost exactly one month after the 9.0 magnitude March 11 quake, which caused a tsunami that washed away whole towns and villages along the country's northeast coast.

 

7.2 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Japan

An earthquake of 7.2 magnitude has struck off the coast of Japan, shaking buildings in the capital, Tokyo.

The tremor was centred 160 km (100 miles) east of the country's main Honshu island.

A tsunami alert for waves of up to 50 cm was issued for northeast Japan, after the quake hit at 0245 GMT.

Also of note, Tohoku Electric Power said its Onagawa nuclear plant was operating normally after the quake. Tokyo Electric Power also said there was no impact on its power plants in the region.  20% of the world's earthquakes of greater than 6.2 magnitude occur in this region.

The Amazing Race Preview for "We Had a Lot of Evil Spirits Apparently"

The teams leave Australia and head to Japan.

Challenges this week include a roadblock that has one team member in costume riding a revolving wooden horse trying to shoot an arrow at a wooden diamond target. The Detours in this leg of the race will involve participating in a traditional Shinto cleansing ceremony to purge evil spirits from their bodies or hunting for frog good luck symbols in a mud bowl.

Drama builds for one team as there is a car accident.

On Friday, Feb 25 Phil Keoghan flew to Christchurch, New Zealand to survey the damage from the earthquake that occurred on Feb 22 to the town that is just 14 miles from where Phil grew up. While there, Phil will make some public service announcements that encourage viewers to help those affected by the earthquake and to plead for vacationers planning to visit the island to still come. New Zealand's economy is largely based on tourism and a fall in visitors could cause the economy to collapse. I predict that there will be at least one of these PSAs shown immediately before Sunday's episode in which the TAR teams travel from nearby Australia to Japan.

Tune in to CBS Sunday night at 8:00 PM ET to The Amazing Race to see who's affected by the car accident will be and to see which team will be the last to arrive at the Pit Stop and face elimination.

Paris Hilton Told to Leave Japan

Paris Hilton was not allowed to stay in Japan today, two days after she pleaded guilty to a drug charge in Las Vegas.

Japan has strict immigration laws that bar entry to those convicted of drug offences, although exceptions are occasionally granted.

"I'm going back home, and I look forward to coming back to Japan in the future," Hilton told reporters before departing on her private jet.

The 29-year-old celebrity socialite had been due to appear today at a news conference in Tokyo to promote her fashion and fragrance lines. She arrived yesterday evening, but was stopped at the airport and spent the night at an airport hotel after being questioned by officials.

A Japanese immigration official said Hilton was denied entry after a total of about six hours of questioning.

She also abruptly cancelled planned appearances in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Jakarta, Indonesia.