Tokyo, June 18 (Jiji Press)–A Jiji Press opinion survey showed Friday that 40.7 pct of respondents, the largest group, want the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer to be canceled.

The share of respondents who said the Tokyo Games should be held as scheduled came to 30.4 pct while 22.2 pct said the games, already postponed by one year from last summer due to the new coronavirus pandemic, should be put off again.

The results showed persistent concerns among the Japanese public over holding the games as it remains to be seen when the pandemic will be brought under control.

The results were similar to those shown in a Jiji Press survey in April, in which 39.7 pct called for the cancellation of the Olympics and Paralympics, 28.9 pct said the Tokyo Summer Games should go ahead this year and 25.7 pct sought another postponement of the events.

Asked in the latest survey about the issue of spectators if the Tokyo Games take place as scheduled, 63.9 pct said the events should go behind closed doors and 27.1 pct said they want the games to be held with the limited number of fans allowed into venues.

Only 4.1 pct said there is no need to set a cap on the number of spectators.

The interview-based survey was conducted for four days to Monday, covering 2,000 people aged 18 or over across the country, with valid responses coming from 64.1 pct.