Japan to ease state of emergency, focus on Games spectators

Tokyo: Japan said on Thursday it would ease emergency coronavirus curbs in nine prefectures including Tokyo while keeping some measures, including limiting spectator numbers at big events, amid fears that next month's Olympics could trigger a surge in infections.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga called on the Japanese 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.