A man walks past an official Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics advertisement board in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo on Nov 30, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)

TOKYO/BEIJING - Tokyo 2020 organizers announced on Friday that they will continue with the preparation work for the Olympic and Paralympic Games during the second state of emergency in the Japanese capital and three surrounding prefectures. 

"We will continue to proceed carefully with all necessary work while adopting the required safety and security measures, in order to progress preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Games due to be held this summer," the organizers said in a statement.

The COVID-19 challenges have not compromised Japan's and the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) determination to host the Tokyo 2020, IOC member Yu Zaiqing said

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a state of emergency from Jan 8 to Feb 7 for the Tokyo metropolitan area including Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures on Thursday afternoon, authorizing tougher measures to fight a resurgence in COVID-19 infections.

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Despite the mounting pressure from the worsening coronavirus situation, Suga promised that the Tokyo Games would be held from July 23 to Aug 8.

"I am determined to hold a safe and secure games," Suga said Thurusday, adding that he was optimistic that enthusiasm among the Japanese public will grow once vaccinations begin.

The COVID-19 challenges have not compromised Japan's and the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) determination to host the Tokyo 2020, IOC member Yu Zaiqing said Friday.

Yu made the remarks during an interview with Xinhua, in which Yu confirmed that the IOC's and its Japanese partners' determination to host the Tokyo Games "remains unchanged", and called for "spreading accurate information".

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Earlier on Friday, Dick Pound, the longest-serving IOC member, told UK's state broadcaster BBC that the Tokyo Games might not take place. 

"I can't be certain because the ongoing elephant in the room would be the surges in the virus," the 78-year-old Canadian said.

The Tokyo Olympics was pushed back by one year on March 24 last year.

Organizers are in a race against time to ensure that test events can restart on March 4 as rescheduled. The first event will be the FINA artistic swimming Olympic qualification tournament from March 4 to 7 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. Overseas athletes have been expected to attend some of the test events.