Scaled back Olympic torch relay starts in Tokyo

Two weeks before the opening of the Olympics, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike attended a small ceremony at a nearly empty Komazawa Olympic Park, the starting point of the Japanese capital's 15-day section of the countrywide relay.

The torch relay's tour around the host city, usually a moment that builds anticipation for the games, was recently taken off of public roads in Tokyo, with a few exceptions in limited areas.

The Olympic flame's arrival in Tokyo came a day after the Japanese government decided to impose a state of emergency on the metropolis for a period including the duration of the games. Starting Monday, the emergency declaration aims to contain a fresh wave of COVID-19 infections.

More than 100 runners were initially scheduled to carry the torch in Setagaya Ward on Friday, as well as in three cities in the western suburbs of the capital's central area. They will now participate in a so-called flame-lighting event without spectators in Machida.

The Olympic flame has already traversed 46 of Japan's 47 prefectures since the relay started in Fukushima in late March, but many segments were removed from public roads to stop groups of spectators from gathering.

In Tokyo, the flame was scheduled to pass major tourist areas and landmarks, including the 634-meter Tokyo Skytree tower and the Roppongi district, a popular nightlife spot.

The Japanese organizers of the Olympics had originally hoped the 121-day torch relay featuring some 10,000 torchbearers would help build enthusiasm amid public opposition to holding the Olympics this summer, but sentiment has not shifted appreciably.

The Olympic flame was lit at a ceremony without spectators in Greece and arrived in Japan on March 20, 2020, just four days before the Tokyo Games were pushed back for one year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Since early July, athletes and team staff from around the world have started arriving in Japan en masse for pre-games training camps in municipalities across the country.