The Japan Swimming Federation said Wednesday the national championships scheduled to take place in early April have been canceled after last week's massive earthquake caused partial damage to the venue and an electricity shortage.
The national championships at Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center were going to serve as the only qualifying event for this summer's world championships in Shanghai.
The federation is now in the final phase of talks on staging a makeup event from April 9-11 in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture.
"Since the earthquake, there has been no way to control the depth of the pool at Tatsumi," said senior JSF official Masafumi Izumi. "We won't be able to use the venue for quite a long time."
It is the first time since 1941 that the national swimming championships have been canceled.