Cancelling Olympics remains an option, says Japan ruling party official

FILE PHOTO: Men wearing face masks watch as giant Olympic rings, which were temporarily taken down in August for maintenance amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, are transported for reinstallation at the waterfront area at Odaiba Marine Park in Tokyo, Japan December 1, 2020. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

TOKYO (Reuters) -A senior Japanese ruling party official said cancelling this year's Olympic Games is an option if the coronavirus crisis becomes too dire, Kyodo news agency reported on Thursday, less than 100 days from the planned start of the Games.

If rising coronavirus cases means "it is said to be impossible we would have to give up," Toshihiro Nikai, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, said in comments in a television interview, Kyodo reported.