Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday it would be "difficult" to hold the postponed Tokyo Olympics if the coronavirus pandemic is not contained.
The premier's remarks came a day after Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori said in an interview with a local sports daily the Olympics will have to be cancelled if the coronavirus pandemic isn't brought under control by next year.
Abe told parliament: "We must hold the Olympics as a testament to humanity's victory over the coronavirus."
He added: "We've been saying we will hold the Olympics and Paralympics in which athletes and spectators can participate safely and in a complete form. I think (the Olympics) cannot be held in a complete form if the pandemic is not contained."
Mori was asked by the Nikkan Sports daily whether the Games could be delayed until 2022 if the pandemic remains a threat next year, to which he said: "No."
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