TOKYO: Top officials from five organizations agreed on Monday to accept up to 10,000 spectators at venues of the Tokyo Olympic Games, which is slated to take place this summer amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The officials — Seiko Hashimoto, president of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics organizing committee, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, Tamayo Marukawa, Japanese minister for the Tokyo Games, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons — also agreed to set a ceiling of 50 pct of the capacity of venues.

The cap on the number of spectators was set on condition that COVID-19 pre-emergency steps now in place are lifted before the July 23 start of the Olympic Games and based on Japan’s guidelines on coronavirus-related visitor restrictions for large-scale events. The Olympics is set to run until Aug. 8.

Shigeru Omi, head of the Japanese government’s COVID-19 advisory panel, has proposed to the organizing committee and others that the Tokyo Games be held without spectators in order to reduce infection risks.

On Monday, the top officials from the organizing committee, the Tokyo metropolitan government, the Japanese government, the IOC and the IPC confirmed that they will hold discussions again on spectators, including the possibility of the Olympics taking place behind closed doors, if a state of emergency or pre-emergency stage is reinstated on July 12 or later.

The Japanese government ended its third coronavirus state of emergency on Sunday for Tokyo and eight other Japanese prefectures, and put seven of them, including the Japanese capital, into a pre-emergency stage, which is slated to run until July 11.

The top five officials also agreed that a decision will be made by July 16 on the cap on spectators for the Tokyo Paralympics, set to be held between Aug. 24 and Sept. 5.

They also agreed to ask spectators to directly go to venues and return home under the guidelines to be complied by the organizers.

Suga says no spectators for Games are possible

Earlier, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Monday that this summer’s Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics may be held without spectators if the government is forced to declare another COVID-19 state of emergency.

“We don’t rule out the possibility of having no spectators for the safety and security,” Suga told reporters.

No spectators “could be possible if a state of emergency is declared,” Suga said, adding, “It’s natural that we put the first priority on safety and security.”

Suga said the government will take seriously a proposal from health experts that the Tokyo Games should be held without spectators.

On Monday, Tokyo, Osaka and seven other prefectures exited the government’s third COVID-19 emergency.

JIJI Press