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International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (right) and the Tokyo 2020 organising committee President Seiko Hashimoto attend a meeting of organizers of the Tokyo Olympics. (Reuters/Yonhap News)

Japan has decided to ban spectators from events held in Tokyo during the Summer Olympics, which are taking place from July 23 to Aug. 8.

Nippon TV reported that the decision had been reached on Thursday in negotiations involving the city of Tokyo, the Tokyo 2020 organising committee, the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee.

The decision came after the Japanese government moved on Thursday to declare a state of emergency in Tokyo from Monday to Aug. 22 amid a surge of COVID-19 cases there. The Olympics fall during the emergency period declared for Tokyo.

Many of the Olympic events, including the opening ceremony, are held in Tokyo, but some are supposed to be held in other parts of the country, including Fukushima Prefecture and Hokkaido.

Nippon TV added that the question of whether spectators would be allowed to attend events outside of Tokyo will be discussed in future meetings with local government authorities.

By Cho Ki-weon, staff reporter

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