In this May 9, 2021 photo, empty seats in the spectator stands during an athletics test event for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. (PHOTO / BLOOMBERG)

Japan will keep a ceiling of 10,000 spectators for public events even after ending virus-related restrictions, a policy that may determine the number of fans permitted at the Tokyo Olympics when they open in five weeks.

The Tokyo Olympics are set to run from July 23 to Aug 8 and the Paralympics from Aug 24 to Sept 4

Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, the government’s point man on the pandemic, told an advisory panel Wednesday the upper limit could last as long as a month beyond the lifting of other restrictions on activities.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s government was expected to formally announce this week it would end a state of emergency over the coronavirus on June 20 for Tokyo and some other areas, Kyodo News reported, adding Japan would retain some restrictions on activities after that, under a quasi-emergency.

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The government and Olympic organizers have yet to announce whether domestic spectators will be allowed at the global sports spectacle, though overseas spectators have already been excluded.

Tokyo organizing committee chief Seiko Hashimoto said this month that limits on Olympics spectators would basically be determined in line with government regulations on domestic sports events. Japan’s major sports leagues are allowing some fans, albeit with restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of infections.

The Tokyo Olympics are set to run from July 23 to Aug 8 and the Paralympics from Aug 24 to Sept 4. The main Olympic stadium is capable of holding up to 68,000 people.