Olympic Torch taken through water and over a spectacular bridge

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay completed its two-day tour of Oita Prefecture on Saturday (April 24) when it arrived in Oita City.

The torch began the day in Kusu Town, crossing the spectacular 173-meter high Kokonoe Yume Otsurihashi pedestrian suspension bridge, carried through the waters of the Usuki River by a swimmer and passing the Harajiri Falls before its arrival in Oita City.

The route was lined with spectators, but Tokyo Olympic organizers said on Friday (April 23) that the leg of the torch relay in Okinawa Prefecture's Miyakojima Island set for May 2 would not be held on public roads because the region is currently subject to priority measures for containing the spread of the coronavirus.

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Last week, it was announced that the relay on Okinawa Island, the main part of Okinawa Prefecture in southwest Japan, would also be taken off public roads.

Sections of the torch relay were also moved off public roads in Osaka and the city of Matsuyama as those areas battle a resurgence in infections.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Friday promised to ensure a safe Tokyo Olympics this summer, after announcing a new state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka, and two other prefectures.

The Torch Relay resumes on April 25in Takachiho Town, Miyazaki Prefecture, in the extreme southwest of Japan. Miyazaki is the 16th of the 47 prefectures scheduled to be visited by the Torch Relay.