The Japanese government has announced that the state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka and seven other prefectures, currently slated to end on May 31, 2021, will be extended through June 20 as a result of the ongoing high rate of COVID variant infections. Foreign entry into the country and visa applications will continue in principle to be restricted indefinitely, although athletes and other Olympic-related personnel will be specially exempt from the restrictions into entry. The Olympics are scheduled to be held from July 23 to August 8. Despite ongoing debate both domestically and internationally as to whether the Olympics should go forward, current indications from both the national government and the IOC suggest it will proceed as planned.
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