Cancelling this year's Olympic Games is an option, reported Kyodo news agency, quoting a senior Japanese ruling party official as saying on Thursday.

"If it seems impossible to do it any more, then we have to stop, decisively," Toshihiro Nikai, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, the No. 2 in the party, said in comments to broadcaster TBS.

Cancellation is "of course" an option, Nikai said. "If the Olympics were to spread infection, then what are the Olympics for?" he added.

But he also emphasized that hosting the Olympic Games is a "big chance" for the nation and that Japan will continue to work hard to ensure its success.

Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has vowed to present a "safe and secure" Olympics and Paralympics, which are also expected to serve as a symbol of humankind's victory over the coronavirus pandemic.

The world's biggest sporting event has already been delayed by a year and is being held without international spectators.

Japan is grappling with rising coronavirus infections, with numbers trending higher in Tokyo after the government ended a state of emergency, and Osaka suffering a record number of cases.

The government is pushing ahead with preparations incorporating social distancing measures and other restrictions for the Games set to begin on July 23, with a scaled back torch relay underway.

"We'll hold (the Games) in a way that's feasible," Taro Kono, a popular minister in charge of Japan's vaccination drive, said on a separate TV program, according to Kyodo News. "That may be without spectators," he added.

However, polls indicate little support in Japan for holding the Games during a global pandemic. "Cancelling Olympics" was trending on Twitter in Japan on Thursday with more than 35,000 tweets from users.

(With input from Reuters)