Shimane Gov. Tatsuya Maruyama said Tuesday he will allow the Tokyo Olympic torch relay to go ahead, despite suggesting earlier this year that the event may be called off in the prefecture if the coronavirus situation does not improve.
Maruyama said he met with officials of the Tokyo Games organizing committee and requested that they set sound volume limits for sponsors' vehicles accompanying torchbearers during the relay's segment in the western prefecture on May 15 and 16.
In February, he hinted at the possibility of canceling the relay's section in the prefecture, which has confirmed far fewer coronavirus infections than the capital and many other areas of the country.