TOKYO: The Japanese government has decided to ease its coronavirus-linked restrictions regarding spectators in large-scale events in the Tokyo metropolitan area, effective on Monday.

The cap on the number of spectators will be raised to 10,000 from 5,000 for large events in Tokyo and neighboring Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures following the lifting of the government’s state of emergency over the novel coronavirus for the four prefectures at the end of Sunday.

Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa are the only prefectures remaining under the state of emergency. Seven other prefectures — Tochigi, north of Tokyo, Aichi and Gifu in central Japan, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo in western Japan, and Fukuoka in southwestern Japan — had been temporarily covered by the emergency.

The restrictions for the Tokyo area will be eased further on April 19 if there is no rebound in new infection cases after the lifting of the emergency, with the new upper limit on the number of spectators to be set at or below 50 pct of capacity of event venues.

The government informed the four prefectures of the decision on Friday.

The spectator limit was set at 5,000 in line with the declaration of the state of emergency in January.

In Aichi, Gifu, Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo and Fukuoka, where the virus emergency was lifted at the end of February, the upper limit has already been raised to 10,000 and will be switched to up to 50 pct of capacity from April 12.

As this summer’s Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic games will be held mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area, the government will carefully monitor the impacts of the easing of the event restrictions and use the data when making a decision on the maximum number of spectators for the sporting events.

JIJI Press