TOKYO/GENEVA -- As it became clear that starting the Tokyo Olympics in late July as planned was out of the question while the coronavirus pandemic raged on, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe set out to avoid the worst-case scenario of calling off the games altogether.
Abe instead moved to lay the groundwork to ensure the games will be held in Japan, even if not this year. For this, he turned to his personal rapport with U.S. President Donald Trump and focused on shaping the narrative on the international stage.
