Japan\'s professional baseball season will start on June 19 under a plan without fans.
Commissioner Atsushi Saito made the announcement on Monday after an online meeting with representatives of the league\'s 12 teams.
\"I hope we can provide some guidance for sports other than professional baseball,\" Saito said. \"It is important to operate cautiously according to our guidelines.\"
The announcement came as the state of emergency was lifted in Tokyo and on the northern island of Hokkaido by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The state of emergency was lifted earlier this month for other parts of the country.
The season was supposed to have started on March 20 but the start was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Via Associated Press