Apr 12 (Japan Today) - Fireworks displays and other summer events in Japan have been canceled by organizers, more than three months before their scheduled dates, due to the spread of the new coronavirus.
In Tokyo, the annual Sumida River Fireworks Festival, which was set for July 11, usually draws around a million spectators along the river. The organizers said they made the cancellation decision early as close contact among spectators would have been inevitable.
The fireworks display is normally held on the final Saturday of July, but it had been brought forward to July 11 this year to avoid clashing with the schedule of the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.
The Tokyo Games have been postponed by a year due to the coronavirus that has spread from China since late last year.
Around 22,020 fireworks were to be set off during this year's event. The date for next year is being discussed, the organizers said.
In the city of Nagaoka in Niigata Prefecture, the mayor announced that the Nagaoka Festival Grand Fireworks Show, set for August, had also been canceled.
