By Joe Koizumi

The Japanese government declared a state of emergency in four major prefectures of Tokyo, Osaka, Hyogo and Kyoto to avert further spreading of the COVID-19 pandemic from April 25 to May 11. People are strongly advised to refrain from going out to stay home for safety, and sports events have been accordingly put off to take place afterward, as follows:

• The national middleweight title bout of Kazuto Takesako and #1 Riku Kunimoto was moved from May 1 to May 19 at the same venue of the Korakuen Hall.
• The May 5 event in Osaka will take place on May 22, when ex-champ Tomoki Kameda will face Hironori Miyake, and WBA#6 feather Hiroshige Osawa will take on Chiharu Takasuka.
• The OPBF and WBO Asia Pacific welterweight unification bout of Ryota Toyoshima and Yuki Beppu will be re-scheduled from May 6 to May 20 at the Korakuen Hall, Tokyo.
• OPBF feather titlist and 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Satoshi Shimizu and WBO AP ruler Musashi Mori will square off with both belts on the line at the Hall—not on the originally scheduled May 13 but on May 21.