A leading sponsor of the Tokyo Olympics is seeking to distance itself from the increasingly controversial event.

Toyota Motor Corp. has decided not to air any Olympics television commercials in Japan, despite being a top-tier sponsor.

The automaker had already prepared a television commercial, which features athletes who are taking part in the Games. But the ad won’t see the light of day.

The automaker has also confirmed its President won’t be attending this week’s opening ceremony.

Toyota says it will “fully support the athletes and contribute to the games by providing vehicles and through other means”.

A spokesperson for the automaker told Japan’s daily Yomiuri newspaper that “the Olympics is becoming an event that has not gained the public’s understanding”.

Taka Masaya, a spokesman for the Tokyo Olympics acknowledges that there is “a mixed public sentiment towards the games”.

“There must be a decision by each company in terms of how they should be able to convey their messages to the public audiences from a corporate perspective,” Masaya told a press conference on Monday.

Safe and secure?

Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has repeatedly promised that the Olympic Games will be a “safe and secure” event.

But with four days until the opening ceremony, a new poll shows two-thirds of people in Japan don’t believe him.

In a poll published by the Asahi newspaper, 68 per cent of respondents said they don’t believe the country can host a safe and secure games.

55 per cent of respondents also say they are opposed to the Games going ahead.

Tokyo was recently placed under its fourth state of emergency, and new cases in the host city have exceeded 1,000 for five consecutive days.

Two footballers from South Africa on the weekend became the first athletes to test positive for COVID-19 in the athletes village.

Organisers have so far reported 58 infections related to the Games.