First Lady Jill Biden arrived in Tokyo for the Olympic Games on Thursday to serve as the head of the US delegation. Biden, 70, touched down around 3.30pm local time and wore a red-orange dress and a white floral mask as she stepped down from a plane and waved at officials welcoming her.
Biden met with greeters lined up on the tarmac and then boarded a military helicopter that took her to the US Embassy in Tokyo.
The three-day Olympics visit is Biden’s first solo international trip as first lady. She will play a starring role in the opening ceremony on Friday, starting at 8pm local time at the National Stadium in Tokyo.
Biden arrived at a city that has declared a new state of emergency due to an increase in coronavirus cases.
She had dinner with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and his wife, Mariko Suga, at Akasaka Palace on Thursday evening.
The first lady was scheduled to meet Team USA members virtually. She is slated to host a watch party for the US-Mexico softball team on Saturday with foreign service officers invited to attend at the US Embassy. Biden is also set to meet Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
Earlier this week, Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto said in a press conference that the Games could possibly still be canceled due to the Covid-19 surge.
‘We cannot predict what the epidemic will look like in the future,’ Muto said. ‘So as for what to do should there be any surge of positive cases, we’ll discuss accordingly if that happens.’
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki in a briefing on Tuesday confirmed that Biden was still planning to attend the Games.
‘She looks forward to supporting, of course, the athletes who are competing on behalf of the United States,’ Psaki said. ‘Our team will be following very strict safety and health protocols, limiting engagement with the public, keeping our footprint as small as possible.’
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