World

Tokyo [Japan], April 12: The Sumida River Fireworks Festival, an annual event in Tokyo, is set to take place this summer after being canceled for the past four years due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The event, scheduled to take place on the evening of July 29, will see approximately 20,000 fireworks set off, the organizing committee said on its official website Tuesday.
Considered a major summer event in the Japanese capital of Tokyo, the event is expected to draw a total of 950,000 people at two separate venues.
"We would like people to be able to relax and have fun at the event for the first time in four years," a spokesperson was quoted as saying in a Kyodo news report.
The event, greenlit ahead of the government's decision to downgrade COVID-19 as a common disease next month, will see strict implementations of government guidelines to prevent the spread of infection, according to the organizer.
In cases of extreme conditions such as stormy weather, the festival will be canceled and the decision will be announced prior to the scheduled date.
Fireworks festivals are often held in Japan during July and August as part of the country's summer celebrations.
Source: Xinhua