The J. League is not without options as it adjusts its schedule in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.
But If play does not resume early next month, those options will become increasingly less appealing to club and league officials hoping to avoid making alterations to the season schedule.
Monday's announcement that the league would not be able to restart as planned on March 18 was widely expected as cases of the new coronavirus rose in Japan and items such as face masks and disinfectant remained almost impossible to come by.