Japanese Emperor says virus prevention at Olympics 'far from easy task'

TOKYO, July 22 (Reuters) - Japan's Emperor Naruhito on Thursday acknowledged the difficulty of preventing the spread of coronavirus during the Olympics, at a meeting with International Olympic Committee officials.

"Managing the Games while at the same time taking all possible measures against COVID-19 is far from an easy task," Emperor Naruhito told IOC President Thomas Bach and other IOC members.

The Emperor will declare the official opening of the Games on Friday. (Reporting by Ju-min Park and Sakura Murakami; Editing by Hugh Lawson)