The Asahi Shimbun, an official partner of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, said in an editorial that public safety should override the commercial interests of staging the event which should have taken place last summer.
“We ask the prime minister to calmly and objectively assess the situation and decide on the cancellation of the event this summer," Asahi said.
The left-leaning daily newspaper has been among several media to publish polls highlighting public opposition to this summer's Games which were postponed last year as the first wave of the coronavirus took hold.
Leader
But Asahi is the first of the Olympics partners to query the sense of continuing.
Even though it is often critical of Suga’s government, the move is intensify focus on the viability of the event.
Most respondents to the surveys say they are worried about tens of thousands of athletes and officials arriving from abroad and causing a spike in the number of infections. Doctors’ associations in Japan have echoed those concerns.
However, Suga's ruling Liberal Democratic party and the Olympics organisers, the International Olympic Committee, have insisted that the Olympics can proceed in a secure fashion between 23 July and 8 August.
Confidence
"We are far from a situation in which everybody can be confident they will be 'safe and secure,'" the newspaper added. “Sadly, that is not the reality."
The Asahi's editorial was widely shared on social media, garnering more than 30,000 tweets soon after it appeared.
EDITORIAL: Prime Minister Suga, please call off the #Tokyo #Olympics this summer #NOlympicsAnywhere : The Asahi Shimbun https://t.co/MfPHLpWxVf
— Asahi Shimbun AJW (@AJWasahi) May 26, 2021
Organisers say the successful staging of other sports events proves the Games can go ahead.
Tokyo 2020 President Seiko Hashimoto said on Wednesday only one coach had tested positive for coronavirus during four Olympic test events with almost 7,000 visitors from 50 countries.
“The events are evidence that our current coronavirus precautions are effective", she said.
"Even baseball matches are being held currently with spectators. Why not go ahead with the Games?” said Kozo Yamamoto, a leading politician in Suga’s government.
"The Olympics will happen, even without spectators. Once it begins, everybody will be glad," he added.
State of emergency
Much of Japan, including the host city Tokyo, remains under a third state of emergency that is widely expected to continue into June.
Just over 12,000 people have died in Japan from the coronavirus since January 2020.
And although around 5 percent have received vaccinations, the Japan Olympic Committee (JOC) says it expects to start inoculating the Japanese Olympic delegation from 1 June.
About 1,600 people, including athletes and coaches, will receive Pfizer shots which were donated by Pfizer separately from the national supply of vaccines.
"We will have the team doctors of the respective sports federations administer the shots, so as not to impact the current vaccination roll-out programme," the JOC said.
