Suga expects 10,000 spectator cap to apply to Tokyo Olympics

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Thursday he expects the government’s spectator cap for large events to apply to the Tokyo Games, with a decision to be finalized in forthcoming talks with organizers and the international Olympic and Paralympic committees.

The government has said it will permit attendance of up to 10,000 at events such as sports games and concerts in prefectures that exit a COVID-19 state of emergency or quasi-emergency, as long as they do not surpass 50% of venue capacity.

Suga also told a news conference that spectators at the Tokyo Games will be required to wear masks and refrain from shouting.

The prime minister called on the public to watch the Olympics on TV to avoid spreading the virus, saying it was crucial to avoid any rebound in COVID-19 cases at the games, due to start on July 23 after being postponed last year.

“The important thing is to continue with our policies with a sense of urgency to prevent the spread of infections. At the same time we must keep up our vaccination efforts to prevent the collapse of the medical system,” he told a news conference.

Earlier, Suga announced that authorities were lifting the state of emergency for Tokyo and eight other prefectures but would maintain quasi-emergency measures in seven of those prefectures, including the capital.

Polls have shown most Japanese people remain wary about the possibility that the games will spread infections, particularly as vaccination rates are still lower than in other wealthy countries. Suga said on Thursday that the vaccination of over-65s was likely to be completed by the end of July.

Earlier Thursday, Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister in charge of the country’s COVID-19 response, was asked whether the government would ask the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to cancel or postpone the games even after they have started if there was a threat to public health and lives.

“The IOC has the final say,” he said. “Our top priority is to protect life and health. We will do our utmost to control infection and secure hospital beds.”