The prospect of postponing the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games looms larger than ever after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday that delaying the event may be the only option to avoid exacerbating the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

His remarks came a day after the International Olympic Committee announced it would decide the fate of the games in four weeks after further discussion with organizers.

The prime minister, who had previously said he hopes to hold the 2020 Games in "complete form," acknowledged during a parliamentary session for the first time that doing so may be impossible.