Japan's state of emergency has forced the closure of Olympic training bases ©Getty Images

Japan has closed Tokyo 2020 training bases in the country after a state of emergency was declared due to COVID-19.

The Japan Sport Council said today that it will close its two main training facilities after the instruction of Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, according to Kyodo News, with the facillities staying shut for the next month.

The two facilities are the National Training Center and the Japan Institute of Sports Sciences, which are both in Tokyo and are scheduled to reopen on May 6. 

Both centres have been used by Japan's Olympic and Paralympic athletes in preparation for the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which are now set to take place in the city next year because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Wrestling will be one of the main sports affected by the closure of Japan's two top training facilities ©Getty Images
Wrestling will be one of the main sports affected by the closure of Japan's two top training facilities ©Getty Images

The National Training Center opened in 2008 as a development base for top athletes, and has areas dedicated to sports such as judo, wrestling and badminton.

Abe's state of emergency is now in effect in seven prefectures across the country, including Tokyo and Osaka, after there was a growth in COVID-19 cases in urban areas.

To date, there are more than 4,200 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Japan and 93 people have died.