Japan took a major step on Monday towards becoming the first country with major sports leagues in the world to allow fans back into its games, announcing that it planned to allow people in the stands for the country’s soccer and baseball leagues in a limited capacity beginning later this month.
Japan, a country of 143 million people which has managed to keep the coronavirus outbreak largely under control and which is seeing very few new cases currently, will reportedly either allow up to 5,000 fans or 50% of the stadium’s capacity (whichever is smaller) into the stands later in July.
Both the J-League and Nippon Professional Baseball organizations are in full swing and have a docket of games from now until the fall.
By making this announcement, Japan will effectively become the first country with major leagues of any sport which will allow fans to return since the COVID-19 outbreak began.
Other major leagues around the world are currently either playing behind closed doors or have suspended their seasons due to health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While most other countries are still not in a position to allow fans to watch their games in person, the news from Japan suggests that it might not be too long until at least some fans are able to return to the stands to watch their favorite sports teams play.
