Japan Extends COVID-19 State of Emergency Ahead of Olympics

A pedestrian walks past a Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games decoration board bearing illustrations of Games mascots Miraitowa (L) and Someity (R) in Tokyo, Japan, on May 27, 2021. Behrouz Mehri/AFP via Getty Images

TOKYO—Japan on Friday extended a state of emergency in Tokyo and other areas by about three weeks to June 20 as the COVID-19 pandemic shows no signs of easing less than two months before the Summer Olympics open.

The state of emergency in the capital and eight other prefectures had been scheduled to end on May 31, but strains on the medical system remain severe.