Olympic events to be held without spectators in Tokyo area
Olympic Games events in Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures -- Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa -- will be held without spectators, the Games organizing committee announced on Thursday. Of the 42 Games venues across Japan, spectators will not be permitted at 33, or about 80%. The decision was made by taking into consideration public discontent over the spread of the novel coronavirus, following the government announcement that it would put Tokyo under a fourth coronavirus state of emergency through August 22.
The decision to ban spectators from events in Tokyo was made on Thursday at a five-way meeting between the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Japanese government, the International Olympic Committee and other concerned parties. The issue of spectators for events held in other prefectures was left to a subsequent meeting with relevant prefectural governments.
According to organizing committee President Seiko Hashimoto, who addressed a press conference after the meetings, events in Miyagi, Fukushima and Shizuoka prefectures will limit spectator numbers to 10,000 people or 50% of venue capacity, whichever is less. She said that Ibaraki Prefecture will only allow student spectators, and only under a program coordinated with schools, while the Hokkaido prefectural government had not yet made a decision. The opening ceremony will have no spectators, Hashimoto said.
The five-way meeting was held online, with IOC President Thomas Bach, who arrived in Japan on Thursday, participating remotely from a hotel in Tokyo. "Since a state of emergency will be declared, we will have to make a difficult decision," Hashimoto said at the beginning of the meeting.
At a previous five-way meeting on June 21, the spectator limit was set at "10,000 people or 50% of venue capacity, whichever is less," and it was agreed that the parties would reconsider the spectator issue if a state of emergency were declared again.
During the Thursday meeting with prefectural governments, the Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa prefectural governments agreed that they needed to be in line with Tokyo despite only being placed under emergency-level priority measures. "Tokyo and the three prefectures would like to keep in step with one another," Saitama Gov. Motohiro Ono said during the meeting.
Miyagi, Fukushima and Shizuoka prefectures, under neither a state of emergency nor emergency-level priority measures, agreed that having spectators would not be a problem so long as all possible infection prevention measures are taken.
The decision will be made for spectators at the Paralympic Games, slated to start on August 24, after the Olympic Games end, the organizing committee announced at the press conference.
-- Suga stresses safety, security
In relation to the Olympic Games being held without spectators in the Tokyo metropolitan area, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Friday morning: "It is the government's responsibility to realize safe and secure Games. We will do our utmost to ensure safety and security, including border control measures." Suga was speaking to reporters at the Prime Minister's Office.
The government announced on Thursday that it would declare a fourth state of emergency for Tokyo. "I have been saying that I wouldn't hesitate to have no spectators if a state of emergency is declared. In light of this, the organizers, which are the organizing committee and the Tokyo metropolitan government, decided the direction," Suga said.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
