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A person wearing a protective mask walks past an Olympics banner hung up outside the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building in Tokyo on Tuesday. (AP/Yonhap News)

The chief of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee on Tuesday did not rule out canceling the Olympic Games if COVID-19 cases spike, according to Reuters and other foreign media.

Toshiro Muto, director-general of the organizing committee, said in a press conference, “We will continue discussions if there is a spike in cases.”

“We have agreed that based on the coronavirus situation, we will convene another round of five-party talks. At this point, coronavirus cases may rise or fall, so we will think about what we should do when the situation arises,” he added.

The five-party talks refer to a meeting of the International Olympic Committee, the Tokyo organizing committee, the Japanese government, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the International Paralympic Committee.

Meanwhile, Tokyo reported 1,386 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday. The number of Olympic-related COVID-19 cases also rose to 71.

By Lee Jun-hee, staff reporter

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