Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga delivers a policy speech during an ordinary Diet session at the upper house of parliament in Tokyo, Japan, Jan 18, 2021. (KOJI SASAHARA / AP)

TOKYO - Japan stood firm on Friday on its commitment to host the Tokyo Olympics this year and flatly denied reports of a cancellation, with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga saying he was determined to realize the Games.

Suga said in parliament that he would work closely with Tokyo and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Suga's comments came after The Times reported that the government concluded the Games would have to be cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic, citing one unidentified source from the ruling coalition. The Times reported that the government's focus was now on securing the Games for Tokyo in the next available year, 2032.

The Olympics represents a major milestone for Japan and Suga, who has said the event would bring "hope and courage" to the world

Though much of Japan is under a state of emergency due to a third wave of COVID-19 infections, Tokyo organizers have consistently vowed to press ahead with the Games scheduled to open on July 23 after having been postponed in March last year.

In a rare move, the government issued a statement to shoot down the report, saying it was working closely with the IOC and other parties in preparation for a safe and secure Games.

A government spokesman said there was "no truth" to the report.

"We will clearly deny the report," Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Manabu Sakai said in a press conference on Friday.

Later, Japan Olympic Committee head Yasuhiro Yamashita told Reuters the report was false and "a fabrication".

The governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, said there had been no talk of canceling or delaying the Olympics and a protest should be lodged over the Times report.

The Tokyo 2020 organizing committee also denied the report, saying that its partners, including the Japanese government and the IOC, were "fully focused" on hosting the games as scheduled.

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In early international reactions, the Australian, Canadian and United States Olympic Committees said they were preparing for the Games as planned.

Japan has been hit less severely by the pandemic than many other advanced economies, but a recent surge in cases has forced it to close its borders to non-resident foreigners and declare a state of emergency in Tokyo and major cities.

Tokyo reported new daily coronavirus cases of more than 1,000 for nine straight days through Thursday and set a single-day record of over 2,400 infections earlier this month. The death toll from the respiratory disease stands at nearly 4,900 people in Japan.

About 80 percent of people in Japan do not want the Games to be held this summer, recent opinion polls show, over fears the influx of athletes will spread the virus further.

In an interview ahead of Friday's report, Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto said he was cautiously hopeful that successful rollouts of COVID-19 vaccines could help lead to the safe staging of the world's largest sporting event.

READ MORE: Tokyo organizers vow to stage Olympics amid increased doubts

The Olympic Games represents a major milestone for Japan and Suga, who has said the event would bring "hope and courage" to the world. 

IOC President Thomas Bach reaffirmed his commitment to holding the Games this year in an interview with Kyodo News on Thursday.

"We have at this moment, no reason whatsoever to believe that the Olympic Games in Tokyo will not open on the 23rd of July in the Olympic stadium in Tokyo," Bach told Kyodo.