A man wearing a face mask walks in the tunnel of a metro station with the board of the official 2020 Summer Olympics advertizement in Tokyo on March 11, 2020. (PHILIP FONG / AFP)

TOKYO - Japan's top government spokesperson said Thursday Japan will continue as scheduled to make preparations for Tokyo to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The remarks made at a press briefing by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga came as the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic.

"There is no change to the government stance that we will make preparations for the Tokyo Games as planned by keeping close contact with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), organizers, and the Tokyo metropolitan government," Suga said.

The International Olympic Committee also said it remained “absolutely in line” with its Japanese hosts in its commitment to delivering safe Olympic Games in July, the IOC said in a statement Thursday.

Without making a direct reference to the global spread of the coronavirus, the organizing body for the games also said it will continue to follow the advice of the World Health Organization.

On Wednesday, a Tokyo 2020 executive board member contradicted its chief by raising a delay point, saying any decision to delay the Olympics should be made before May, reported Japanese broadcaster TBS 

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Tokyo 2020 executive board member Haruyuki Takahashi’s comments came just hours after its chief, Yoshiro Mori, publicly chided him for remarks he first made to the Wall Street Journal that a delay of one or two years would be the most reasonable option if the coronavirus derailed the Games.

If you think about the athletes, May would seem too late. We need to think about taking the first step, before the IOC

Haruyuki Takahashi, Tokyo 2020 executive board member

Mori called Takahashi’s suggestion “outrageous”, while on Thursday Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said she believed cancellation was not an option, although she acknowledged that the pandemic label would affect future discussions.The Japanese and Tokyo metropolitan governments, local organizers and the International Olympic Committee have all sought to quash persistent speculation that the Games could be cancelled or postponed.

The World Health Organization described the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic for the first time, prompting more countries to announce drastic measures.

Speaking to TBS after Mori’s news conference, Takahashi said: “If you think about the athletes, May would seem too late” to make a decision on any delay, according to the broadcaster. “We need to think about taking the first step, before the IOC.”

He added that the organizing committee would probably discuss postponement at its next meeting later this month, TBS reported.

Takahashi did not respond to a request for comment.

US President Donald Trump suspended travel from Europe, except for the UK, for 30 days starting Friday, and hard-hit Italy tightened its lockdown.

One of the most common strategies to contain the coronavirus is to avoid large gatherings, and major sporting events around the world have been cancelled or held without spectators.

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The US National Basketball Association said it was suspending the season after a Utah Jazz player tested positive for the virus.

As of Wednesday, Japan had 620 cases and 15 deaths, excluding people on a cruise ship that was quarantined near Yokohama last month, according to the health ministry. Experts say the tally may be deceptively low due to the limited number of tests in Japan compared with many other countries.