Photo: STR/JAPAN POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Dr. Biden, 70, wearing a red-orange dress and white floral mask, disembarked the plane around 3:30 p.m. Tokyo time, spending several minutes going down a line of greeters before boarding a military helicopter to head to the U.S. Embassy.
Later that evening, the first lady visited Akasaka Palace, where she had dinner with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and his wife, Mariko Suga.
Dr. Biden’strip to Tokyomarks her first solo outing abroad as first lady.
Dr. Jill Biden.STR/JAPAN POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The games are being held amid growing concern about COVID-19; Japan is under a state of emergency due to the virus.
Before heading to Japan, Dr. Biden made a stop in Alaska to encourage vaccinations in the U.S., where some parts of the country are also seeing dramatic spikes in the highly contagious Delta variant (due in large part, say medical professionals, to vaccine hesitancy).
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Later in the week, Dr. Biden is expected to participate in another event with Mariko Suga, also held at the palace, and in a virtual meet-and-greet with members of Team USA, before meeting with Emperor Naruhito at Tokyo’s Imperial Palace.
The head of the games has left open the possibility that the events could still be canceled due to the virus.
“We cannot predict what the epidemic will look like in the future. So as for what to do should there be any surge of positive cases, we’ll discuss accordingly if that happens,” Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto said in a recent a news conference, adding: “At this stage, the coronavirus situation might get worse or better, so we will think about what to do when the situation actually arises.”
On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psakisaid in a briefingthe first lady and her staff would be moving ahead with their visit to Tokyo.
source: people.com
