The coming Tokyo Olympics will proceed without spectators, overseas or domestic, for events that happen in Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama due to a recent surge in COVID-19 infections, reported Kyodo News on Thursday.

Earlier on Thursday, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's administration announced a state of emergency for Tokyo until August 22, placing the Olympics under emergency as well.

"We must take stronger steps to prevent another nationwide outbreak, also considering the impact of coronavirus variants," said Suga. The state of emergency in Okinawa was also extended.

"We are hoping to keep people from moving around during the summer break and the Bon holidays until vaccinations move further along," said Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister in charge of the nation's COVID-19 response, to a panel of experts in the morning.

Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee, arrived in Tokyo on Thursday and met with representatives of local Olympic organizing bodies, including Tokyo Olympic organizing committee chief Seiko Hashimoto and Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike to discuss the preparations for the Games and other issues including COVID-19 protocols.

A "very difficult decision" needs to be made regarding spectators, according to Hashimoto. Bach said he's ready to support any decision regarding spectators for the safety of the Japanese public and all participating athletes.

"We have shown this responsibility since the day of the postponement. And we will also show it today, and we will support any measure which is necessary to have a safe and secure Olympic and Paralympic Games for the Japanese people and all the participants," said Bach.

The Tokyo Games were originally scheduled to take place in 2020 but were postponed by a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As it entered 2021, first overseas spectators were banned from the Games and then domestic attendance was limited to either 10,000 people at one venue or 50 percent of venue capacity.

Nonetheless, as the coronavirus continued to spread in Japan – Tokyo reported 920 infection cases on Wednesday and 896 cases on Thursday – the organizers had to go harder limiting attendance. First attendance was cut to 5,000 people per venue before being cut again to no spectators at all in the metropolitan area.

The Tokyo Olympics are scheduled to take place from July 23 to August 8.