Japan bans spectators at Olympics events in and around Tokyo

The Tokyo Olympics will be held largely without spectators after the Japanese government declared a Covid-19 state of emergency in the capital to run throughout the Games.

Yoshihide Suga, prime minister, announced the state of emergency at a press conference on Thursday evening as the Delta variant continued to drive a rapid increase in coronavirus infections in the country.

Seiko Hashimoto, Tokyo 2020 president, said: “No spectators will be allowed into any venues in Tokyo during the Olympic Games. I am very sorry to ticket holders who will be disappointed but this was the only choice available to us to control the spread [of coronavirus].”