Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Friday that a state of emergency was being extended to a broader area due to a rapid rise of coronavirus cases in those regions.
But he added that holding a "safe and secure" Olympic games was possible if tight preventive measures were implemented that would keep ordinary Japanese from coming into contact with those arriving in connection with the Games.
The Olympics, postponed for a year due to the pandemic, are set to start on July 23.
(Reporting by Elaine Lies, Mari Saito; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
