Protesters take to the streets ahead of Opening Ceremony
Ahead of the opening ceremony's start, protesters took to the streets of Tokyo to voice their opposition to the staging of the Olympics in Japan.
Positive Covid-19 cases are on the rise in Japan and that has ensured many events will take place without spectators in attendance.
Protesters marched down some of the capital city's busiest streets with banners to make their feelings known about the International Olympic Committee and Tokyo 2020 organizers' decision to host the Games given the pandemic.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics has already been delayed by a year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
7:41 a.m. ET, July 23, 2021
The Olympics stadium looks full of people, but it isn't. Here's how.
From CNN's Adrienne Vogt
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who is in Tokyo, described the atmosphere inside the stadium at the Olympics Opening Ceremony as "so quiet."
While it looks like there are people in all of the seats filling up the stadium, there are not. It's "just seat coverings in different colors to make it look like there's people here," according to Gupta.
There are 950 VIPs taking part in the ceremony, according to Tokyo 2020 spokesman Hidemasa Nakamura, including around 800 foreign guests and 150 from Japan, CNN affiliate TV Asahi reported.
7:44 a.m. ET, July 23, 2021
NOW: The parade of athletes is underway at the Tokyo 2020 Opening Ceremony
The parade to welcome athletes has just started.
It is set to theme songs from video games — a quintessential part of Japanese culture. It will include a creative display inspired by contemporary Japan, with placards featuring manga motifs.
"Our earth is home to a diversity of life, and no two of us are the same. By respecting our differences and individual characteristics, we hope we can all live together in harmony and with compassion for one another," organizers of the ceremony said.
After the parade, there will be a performance of the song “Imagine.”
"Imagination has the power to unite and to move us forward. By singing this much-loved song in relay, we will spread its powerful message all over the world," a guide to the Opening Ceremony explains.
7:34 a.m. ET, July 23, 2021
Tokyo 2020 Opening Ceremony holds moment of silence for Covid-19 victims
After the Japanese national anthem was sung at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Opening Ceremony, a moment of silence was called to remember the global victims of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Commentators made special mention of the Olympic athletes who were not able to attend the games due to the pandemic.
The limited number of spectators who were allowed in the stadium were asked to stand to their feet to honor all the lives coronavirus has claimed around the world.
7:29 a.m. ET, July 23, 2021
Japanese flag raised by masked flag bearers
The Japanese flag was just raised at the 2020 Olympic Games as the Opening Ceremony gets underway. The flag bearers handling it all wore masks.
This year's Opening Ceremony, which is underway in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, looks radically different from previous Olympics. Only about 950 VIPs are attending, Tokyo 2020 spokesperson Hidemasa Nakamura told CNN.
7:20 a.m. ET, July 23, 2021
Athletes will see less than 1,000 people at the opening ceremony. Here's who is attending.
The $1.5 billion stadium built for the 2020 Olympics can hold nearly 70,000 people, but athletes from around the world will be parading at the opening ceremony in a near-empty venue.
Only about 950 VIPs will take part in the event, Tokyo 2020 spokesperson Hidemasa Nakamura told CNN. The total will include around 800 foreign guests and 150 from Japan, CNN affiliate TV Asahi reported.
This is because Covid-19 cases continue to rise in Japan, which led to a ban on spectators at all events at Tokyo venues.
Japanese automaker Toyota has confirmed its CEO, Akio Toyoda, will not be attending the ceremony.
French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country will host the next Summer Games in 2024, has arrived in Tokyo for the opening ceremony.
First Lady Jill Biden is also going to be present at the event. She's scheduled to meet with Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace ahead of the opening ceremony.
8:16 a.m. ET, July 23, 2021
Here's a running list of opening ceremony participants per country
From CNN's Ben Morse and Chandler Thornton
Usually held in a stadium full of ecstatic fans, this year's ceremony will have athletes from across the globe parading in a near empty venue after it was announced that spectators would not be allowed to attend because of rising Covid-19 cases in Japan.
Here's the number of participants per country confirmed so far:
South Korea
26 athletes at the opening ceremony
Flag bearers: Hwang Sun-woo and Kim Yeon-koung
Total team members: 354 (232 of which are athletes)
Canada
About 30 to 40 athletes at the opening ceremony
Flag Bearers: Miranda Ayim and Nathan Hirayama
Total team members: 370
India
25 members at the opening ceremony (athletes and officials)
Total team members: 228 (119 of which are athletes)
Australia
About 50 members at the opening ceremony (athletes and officials)
Total team members: 472 athletes (total members unavailable)
United States:
About 200 athletes, though some could opt in or out at the last minute
Flag bearers: Sue Bird and Eddy Alvarez
Total team members: 613
Note: This post will continue to be updated as countries confirm.
Some background: The opening ceremony for this year's Summer Games — which were delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic — will take place in Tokyo's Olympic Stadium.
Tokyo 2020 spokesperson Hidemasa Nakamura told CNN that about 950 VIPs will take part in the event. The total will include around 800 foreign guests and 150 from Japan, CNN affiliate TV Asahi reported.
7:12 a.m. ET, July 23, 2021
The Olympics Opening Ceremony has begun
After Covid-19 almost derailed the Tokyo 2020 Olympics for the second year in a row, the Games are finally beginning, kicking off with an opening ceremony in a nearly-empty stadium.
If you miss the live broadcast, the roughly four-hour opening ceremony will also be replayed at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
7:23 a.m. ET, July 23, 2021
First lady Jill Biden attending Opening Ceremony
First lady Jill Biden is at the Tokyo 2020 Opening Ceremony.
It is her first solo trip abroad since her husband, President Joe Biden, was elected in November, 2020.
Just over 200 US athletes will walk during the Opening Ceremony. Over 600 US athletes are due to compete at Tokyo 2020.
Biden's Saturday in Tokyo includes one non-athletic event. She will dedicate a room in the Chief of Mission Residence to Irene Hirano Inouye and Daniel Inouye, the late senator and Medal of Honor recipient from Hawaii.
A viewing party of the USA vs. Mexico softball game with US Embassy officers and their families follows, before Biden heads to "several Olympic events before departing Tokyo," according to a release from the East Wing.