WEAI - Weatherhead East Asian Institute

SUPPORT US
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • About
    • Mission & History
    • Contact Us
    • Annual Report
    • East Asian National Resource Center
  • People
    • Faculty
    • Staff
    • Visiting Scholars
    • Professional Fellows
  • Research
    • Programs
    • Regions
      • Greater China
      • Japan
      • Korea Region
      • Global East Asia
      • Inner Asia Region
      • Southeast Asia
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
    • Event Highlights
    • 70 Years
  • Academics
    • Overview
    • MARSEA
    • SIPA Specialization
    • WEAI Certificate Program
  • Resources
    • Faculty Resources
    • Student Resources
    • Visiting Affiliate Resources
    • Outreach
  • Publications
  • News
Home / Homepage News / Gerald Curtis comments on Japan’s handling of Covid-19 and the Olympics in The New York Times

Gerald Curtis comments on Japan’s handling of Covid-19 and the Olympics in The New York Times

Professor Gerald Curtis was quoted in a New York Times article titled “What to Call 2021 Olympics? Just One of Many Challenges for Japan.” In the March 25 article, which follows the decision by the International Olympic Committee and Japan to postpone the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics for one year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Professor Curtis weighed in on the political implications for the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

“‘The big unknown is whether his luck will hold out with regard to Covid-19,’ said Gerald L. Curtis, a professor emeritus of political science at Columbia University.

Mr. Abe, Mr. Curtis said, ‘has been playing a kind of Russian roulette, betting that the virus won’t suddenly spike and giving the public a false sense of security by not testing large numbers of people. If his luck runs out and the virus spreads, he won’t be prime minister when the Olympics come to Tokyo next year.'”

 

Click here to read the article.

WEAI - COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
420 West 118th Street 9th Floor, New York, NY 10027
(212) 854-2592

SUPPORT US

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2026 · Weatherhead East Asian Institute

Copyright © 2026 · WEAI on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in