The government is moving toward a gradual relaxing of restrictions on attendance at large-scale events following the lifting of the state of emergency, depending on the pandemic situation, which could double the current limits in time for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games.
The main change to the limits, which have long been part of general measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, would be to raise the maximum number of spectators at an event from 5,000 to 10,000, with the possibility of applying it at the Tokyo Games.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Tuesday discussed the easing of restrictions on events in a meeting with Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Norihisa Tamura and other concerned Cabinet members at the Prime Minister's Office. He later also met with Education minister Koichi Hagiuda and Olympic minister Tamayo Marukawa.
The government was expected to make a decision after hearing the opinions of experts from its subcommittee on novel coronavirus measures on Wednesday.
In the 10 prefectures including Tokyo and Osaka currently under a state of emergency, the government has set limits at events to a maximum of 5,000, or 50% of venue capacity, whichever is less.
The government will decide as early as Thursday whether to end or extend the state of emergency which is slated to expire on June 20. It is considering shifting Tokyo and Osaka among the 10 prefectures to the status of "emergency-level priority measures," under which measures similar to those under a state of emergency declaration can be taken.
Currently, the number of spectators at events under such priority measures is also capped at a maximum of 5,000.
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