Japan plans to lift COVID restrictions ahead of Olympic Games

Japan’s government on Thursday approved lifting Tokyo’s virus emergency measures a month before the Olympics, but set new restrictions that could sharply limit fans at the sporting events. The state of emergency in place in Tokyo began in late April and largely limits bar and restaurant opening hours and bans them from selling alcohol. That measure will now end in the capital and eight other regions on June 20, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced. It will stay in place in Okinawa. “The number of infections nationwide has been declining since mid-May and the situation in terms of hospital beds is steadily improving,” he said. “On the other hand, in some regions there are signs that the fall in the number of infections is slowing,” Suga added.