International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach has asked Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to consider allowing spectators into venues for the Tokyo Games if the coronavirus situation improves, a government official familiar with the matter said Thursday.

Amid negative sentiment around the Olympics before they begin next week, Bach made the request to Suga during their meeting on Wednesday in Tokyo, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

His request was made just a week after the IOC, the Japanese government and other organizers made an unprecedented decision to stage the Olympics without spectators at almost all venues due to surging COVID-19 infections.