After the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were postponed by 12 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there concerns yet again that the world's biggest sporting event won't be able to take place.
In January, a huge spike in COVID-19 cases in Japan across their winter meant increased travel restrictions and certain areas were placed into a state of emergency.
This meant that restaurants and bars forced to close from 8pm to limit gatherings outside the home.
Since November, Japan has seen a steady rise in daily COVID-19 cases to the point where it hit almost 8,000 a day in the first week of January 2021.
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It appeared that Japan had got on top of the pandemic, however recent numbers have forced some of its major cities into a state of emergency again.
Here is everything you need to know about the COVID-19 situation in Japan ahead of the Summer Olympic Games.
When are the Tokyo Olympics?
The Tokyo Summer Olympic Games will be held from July 23 to August 8, 2021.
They were originally set to take place from July 24 to August 9, 2020 but were postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Will the Tokyo Olympics go ahead in 2021?
At this stage, the Tokyo Olympics will proceed as scheduled in July 2021.
A report in mid-January out of Tokyo suggested that the Japanese government had privately conceded the Games would not proceed.
However, those claims were disputed by IOC President Thomas Bach, the Japanese Government and the Australian Olympic Committee as 'rumours'.
"We had another consultation with all the IOC members yesterday," Bach said on January 22.
"Everybody is really determined to make this Olympic Games in six months the light at the end of the tunnel we are all still in.
"All the prospects are good, we are working hard and this Games, the first priority will be to make them safe and secure for all participants."
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga confirmed in December that he wants the Olympics to proceed.
"I expressed my strong determination to host the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of next year as proof that humanity has defeated the pandemic," Mr Suga told the United Nations General Assembly in a speech in December.
In mid-April, it was confirmed that Tokyo and many surrounding regions would be going into a fourth state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
BREAKING: Japanese government declares state of emergency in Tokyo, Osaka, Hyogo, and Kyoto due to coronavirus
— BNO Newsroom (@BNODesk) April 23, 2021
Dick Pound, a member of the International Olympic Committee, cast doubts yet again due to the increased number of cases in Japan and the world of COVID-19.
"I can’t be certain because the ongoing elephant in the room would be the surges in the virus,” Pound told the BBC in January.
It has also been confirmed by IOC President Thomas Bach that it is not possible for the Olympics to be postponed a second time.
Concerningly for the IOC and the Japanese government, a recent poll by Kyodo News confirmed that approximately 80% of residents wanted the Olympics and Paralympics to be either delayed or cancelled.
The vaccine rollout in Japan has been relatively slow compared to the rest of the world with approximately one percent of the population receiving their dose.
How much will the rescheduled Olympics cost?
Games organisers have confirmed that the rescheduled Olympics are set to cost Japan an additional 294 billion yen, or AUD$3.65 billion.
The IOC has stated they will contribute towards those costs, believed to be an amount close to US$650 million, or AUD$840 million.
What are the current COVID-19 cases in Japan?
As of April 21, Japan had 5,369 new daily cases of COVID-19 which is an overall increase in numbers.
This is part of the fourth wave of COVID that has hit the country.
After the third wave in January, the numbers started to recede and fell below 1,000 daily cases by mid-February.
However, since the start of March, there has been a steady increase to the figures we are currently seeing now.
Earlier in the year, Japan recorded over 7,000 new cases of COVID-19 on January 16.
Tokyo had 861 new cases of COVID-19 on April 22.
That is the highest number in the city since January when they were in the middle of the third wave.
It is reported Japan has approximately 548,000 total cases of COVID-19 and has had 9,737 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
What are the current travel restrictions and quarantine rules in Japan?
There is currently a long list of countries whose residents are banned from entering Japan due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
These countries include the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and a host of other nations around the world.
Australia is one of 12 countries still on an unrestricted travel list with Japan.
As Japan attempts to stop the spread of the new UK-strain of COVID-19, entry of visa holders from all countries (except those on business travel or on the unrestricted list) has been paused.
All arrivals into Japan must self-quarantine for 14 days. Unlike Australia, not only can this be completed at a hotel but it can also be done at home, with friends or relatives or in company housing.
However, there is a strict rule that you can not use public transport to get to your place of quarantine. This includes taxis.
Once arriving in Japan, you are immediately tested for COVID-19 with a new saliva test. The results for these tests usually take no more than two hours. Once a negative result is received, you can proceed to your place of quarantine.
What is Australia's plan for the Tokyo Olympics?
The Australian Olympic Committee issued a statement on January 22 after reports circulated that the Games would be cancelled.
"Both Japanese Prime Minister Suga and IOC President Bach have this week strongly reaffirmed their commitment to the Tokyo Olympic Games going ahead in July this year," the statement read.
"The AOC is continuing its planning to ensuring the Australian Olympic Team arrives in Tokyo, competes and returns home safe and COVID-free.
"The AOC, Federal Government, Queensland Government and Brisbane City Council are continuing to progress the candidature for the Olympic Games to be held in Queensland in 2032 - and that process continues."
Ian Chesterman, Australia's Chef de Mission for the Tokyo Olympics confirmed that the plan is still very much for Australia's athletes to be involved in the postponed Games.
Speaking on January 12, Chesterman said the plan is for the athletes to fly in, fly out and spend as little time in Tokyo as possible for the Games.
“We’ll prepare here in Australia and make sure that we’re safe and COVID free to arrive in Japan," Chesterman said on 4BC.
“Then there will be four or five days of preparation in Japan, opportunity to compete and then immediately afterwards you will fly-out back in Australia.
“It is going to be a different model, there’s no doubt about that but it does give us the confidence to how it can happen.”
Will athletes need the COVID-19 vaccine before competing at the Olympics?
The IOC is hoping to get athletes vaccinated for COVID-19 before heading to Tokyo to compete at the Olympics.
Dick Pound confirmed in an interview with Sky News that "it was the most realistic way" of ensuring that the Olympics would proceed.
Sarah Hirshland the Chief of the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, confirmed that her organisation is "focused on building a vaccine plan".
The IOC has also suggested to athletes that getting the vaccination would be a "demonstration of solidarity" with Japan for hosting the Games.
Will athletes get priority access to the COVID-19 vaccine?
The Australian Olympic Committee is confident that all athletes and staff travelling to Tokyo for the Olympics will receive the vaccine before the Games.
Chef de Mission Ian Chesterman confirmed at the end of March that ongoing conversations were occurring with the Department of Health and that they had been positive talks.
There have been calls for athletes to get priority access to the COVID-19 vaccine to ensure a safe Olympics in Tokyo.
Dick Pound suggested that members of the public would be okay with a small number of athletes getting the vaccine if it meant the Games proceeding.
He used the example of his home country of Canada, where they may have 300 or 400 athletes competing.
"To take 300 or 400 vaccines out of several million in order to have Canada represented at an international event of this stature, character and level – I don’t think there would be any kind of a public outcry about that," Pound told Sky News.
"It’s a decision for each country to make and there will be people saying they are jumping the queue but I think that is the most realistic way of it going ahead.”
The IOC stated that it will be more complicated than Pound's initial assessment.
Australian swim star Cate Campbell told The Sydney Morning Herald that she believes Olympic athletes should get priority access to the vaccine.
"If it's a prerequisite, then I think we should get some sort of priority," Campbell said in January.
"If it's not a prerequisite, we should be able to choose whether we get it before or after the Olympics."
Will fans be allowed at the Tokyo Olympics?
Overseas spectators will not be allowed to attend the Tokyo Olympics due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Approximately 600,000 tickets were purchased by individuals living outside of Japan.
The new state of emergency in Tokyo has complicated matters for whether fans in Japan will be able to attend the 2021 Olympic Games.
It is expected ticket sales were set to bring in 90 billion yen in revenue for the Games.