Tokyo Games Likely to Exclude Overseas Spectators

Tokyo, March 3 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government is considering excluding overseas spectators from the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics this summer due to the coronavirus pandemic, informed sources said Wednesday. The government will make a formal decision as early as this month after talks with the International Olympic Committee and others, the sources said. At a time when many Japanese people are concerned about letting in foreign spectators amid the pandemic, the government is putting top priority on holding the Tokyo Games safely, the sources said. The government will continue to consider whether to allow domestic spectators. "Holding the Tokyo Games without spectators is not an option currently," a government source said. Top officials from the Tokyo metropolitan government, the Tokyo Games organizing committee, the Japanese government, the IOC and the International Paralympic Committee agreed to make a decision on whether to allow foreign spectators for the games by March 25, when the Olympic torch relay begins. The officials, speaking at a videoconference, also agreed to set limits on spectator numbers by the end of April. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Seiko Hashimoto, president of the organizing committee, said that it would be difficult to accept spectators from abroad unless people in Japan can feel that their safety will be ensured. END