Tokyo will be in a state of emergency for the Olympic Games after the Government took action against rising coronavirus infection rates.
The measures come into effect immediately and will be in place until August 22, Japanese agency Kyodo News reported.
The decision throws into doubt the possibility of even Japanese spectators attending the Games, with overseas fans having been barred in April.
“We must take stronger steps to prevent another nationwide outbreak, also considering the impact of coronavirus variants,” Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said in quotes reported by Kyodo News.
The announcement coincided with the arrival in Japan of International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach.
The decision will not deter the IOC or the Japanese Government from pressing ahead with staging the Games.
The IOC vice-president overseeing the Games, John Coates, said in May that the event would go ahead whether Tokyo was in a state of emergency or not.
Games organisers had put in place plans to allow venues to be 50 per cent full, up to a maximum of 10,000 people.
State of emergency rules regarding attendances are set at regional level, but the national government advice is that events with spectators should run no later than 9pm, putting a major question mark on whether fans will be allowed to attend any night sessions in Tokyo.
