Five of Tokyo Olympics' 89 licenced shops to close

TOKYO - Five licensed shops of Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games will be closed and another one downscaled after the Games had suffered a setback because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tokyo 2020 spokesman Masa Takaya here on Tuesday.

Takaya told reporters at an online briefing that among a total of 89 licensed shops across Japan at the end of April, five will be closed and another downscaled on May 31 when the state of emergency nationwide ended.

Some of the shops have already been affected after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency in seven prefectures on April 7 and expanded it nationwide on April 16. He extended it last week until May 31.

The contracts between Tokyo 2020 and shop owners, which expire at the end of the summer, will have to be talked about since the Games had been postponed.

"We are discussing the contracts with the shop owners," Takaya said. "I cannot say precisely how many shops will be affected. It is difficult to say how many shops will remain in June."

Some shops which will be closed are located inside commercial complex, which have not been doing business since April.

Takaya said that the organizers are still "committed to achieving the target of sales."

Tokyo 2020 hopes to raise 14 billion yen (130.2 million US dollars) in revenue by selling 5,500 licensed products.