The Organisers said that no international fans will be permitted at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics this summer because of the concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.
The Olympics are due to begin on 23 July and the Paralympics are to follow the Olympics a month later, from 24 August.
The Organisers said that this move would help to ensure "a safe and secure Games for all participants and the Japanese public". They said that they had made the move to bar overseas spectators "to give clarity to ticket holders", who will be refunded.
They added that the "challenging" Covid-19 situation in Japan and many other countries, global travel restrictions and emergence of variant strains of the virus had led to this decision.
Japanese authorities told the Olympic and Paralympic committees that it was "highly unlikely" that entry to the country could be guaranteed.
Organisers postponed the Olympics by a year in March last year because of the growing spread of coronavirus across the world.