Japan is lifting a more than 2 1/2-year ban on international cruise ships that was imposed following a deadly coronavirus outbreak on the cruise ship Diamond Princess at the beginning of the pandemic.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should be basking in the limelight this year in the runup to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)TOKYO – While again stating there are no plans to cancel or delay the Tokyo Olympics, local organizers postponed training sessions for volunteers on Friday for at least two months because of the virus outbreak spreading from China. The virus, known as COVID-19, has caused the deaths of about 2,250 people since it emerged in the Chinese city Wuhan late last year. Up to Friday, three deaths and more than 700 cases — most from a quarantined cruise ship docked in Tokyo Bay — had been reported in Japan. “There are no considerations of canceling the games nor will the postponements of these (training) activities have an impact on the overall games preparation,” Tokyo organizers said.