The Tokyo Olympics should take place before a live audience, Japan's new Olympics chief has said, despite concerns about hosting the Games during a global pandemic.

Seiko Hashimoto, who became president of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games Organizing Committee (TOGOC) last week, told Japanese media the Games should have spectators just like other major sports hosting events before fans, although in limited numbers.

Any final decision will depend on the coronavirus pandemic, she said in an interview conducted on Friday and published a day later.

"When we think about the possibility of holding the Olympics without fans in the stands, athletes will definitely wonder why there are no fans just for the Olympics and Paralympics when other competitions are allowing in spectators," Hashimoto told reporters, according to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper.

"Everyone wants an early decision about the direction to be taken regarding fans to prepare tickets and hotel accommodations," Hashimoto said, according to the daily.

The seven-time Olympian-turned-politician last week replaced Yoshiro Mori, 83, who stepped down after making sexist remarks about women with only five months left before the Games.

Olympic officials have said there could be separate decisions made in the coming months about spectators from inside Japan and spectators from abroad.

Her comments came as Japanese officials moved towards removing the entry ban on foreign athletes for the Olympics, possibly after March 7 when the state of emergency for the greater Tokyo region is scheduled to end, according to the Nikkei newspaper and Kyodo News.

That would allow Olympic test events from April, as well as football World Cup qualifiers from March to take place in Japan, Kyodo said.

Poll: 80 percent of people in Japan back either cancellation or further postponement

But Tokyo Olympics organizers still struggle to ease the Japanese public's skepticism about the safety and the urgency of hosting the Olympic Games during the pandemic.

The Games was originally scheduled for the summer between July 24 and August 9, 2020, but it was pushed back by one year from July 23 to August 8, 2021, as the pandemic raged across the globe.

Polls show about 80 percent of people in Japan back either cancellation or further postponement.

"Support for holding the Olympics will not increase until we can eliminate various issues of concern concerning the novel coronavirus pandemic, including the serious strain being placed on the medical care structure," Hashimoto told reporters, according to the Asahi.

Vaccines 'encouraged' but not compulsory for athletes at Tokyo Olympics

Athletes are being encouraged to get vaccinated against COVID-19 ahead of the Tokyo Olympics but it will not be compulsory, International Olympic Committee (IOC) Vice President John Coates said on Thursday.

"Not compulsory, we can't do that," Coates, head of the IOC's Coordination Commission for the Tokyo Games, told reporters in Brisbane.

"But it is certainly being encouraged and the IOC has an agreement with COVAX where it's helping to facilitate the distribution of vaccines."

COVAX is the World Health Organization's global vaccine-sharing scheme.

Tokyo 2020 organizers warn against big gatherings during torch relay

The Tokyo Olympic organizing committee said on Thursday that they could suspend the upcoming torch relay should big gatherings raise COVID-19 infection risks, asking spectators to support by clapping.

The toned-down torch relay, which will begin on Mar 25 and travel through Japan, will be broadcast live to avoid gatherings on streets, said Yukihiko Nunomura, senior executive at TOGOC, at a media briefing.

He said the organizers had put off a decision whether to proceed with the relay in Tochigi prefecture, initially scheduled for late March, because the prefecture has called for unnecessary outdoor activities to be scrapped amid the pandemic.

"By any chance, if any dense gatherings happen on streets, torch relay can be stopped as we prioritize safety and security," Nunomura said.

About 1,000 Olympics volunteers quit in wake of furor over president

About 1,000 Olympics volunteers have quit over the past month, organizers said, during which time TOGOC former president Mori quit due to sexist remarks.

Tokyo 2020 organizers said not all volunteers quit due to Mori's comments. Surveys have shown volunteers repeatedly expressing concerns about the coronavirus.

The total number of volunteers recruited by Tokyo 2020 is 80,000 and organizers have said they did not expect the Games will be affected, since the number of quitting is only about one percent of the total.

Another 30,000 volunteers have been recruited separately by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which was unable to immediately comment on how many have quit.

(With input from agencies)

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