Organisers were forced to cancel the public mass participation event, with only the elite races and wheelchair competitions set to take place.

Legese heads into the men’s elite race in the Japanese capital as favourite, after achieving a personal best of 2 hours 2min and 48sec at last year’s Berlin Marathon.

His compatriot Sisay Lemma is expected to be his closest challenger in the race.

Lemma has reportedly targeted dipping below the 2:02.00 mark in Tokyo.

The event, one of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors, will also determine the final Japanese qualifier for the men’s Olympic marathon.

Shogo Nakamura and Yuta Hattori have already secured places on the start in Sapporo, where the Olympic marathon races were relocated last year.

Shitara Yuta, Inoue Hiroto and Osako Suguru will be among the runners hoping to secure the final spot.

The fastest Japanese runner must also achieve the time of 2:05:49 set by the Japan Association of Athletics Federation to secure the berth.

If no one clears the time, the slot will go to Osako, who finished third in Japan's Marathon Grand Championship race last September.

The final women’s berth will be decided at the Nagoya Marathon on March 8.

Tomorrow’s women’s race will see Ethiopia’s Ruti Aga aim to defend her title.

She will face competition from her compatriot Birhane Dibaba, who won the race back in 2014 and 2018.

Kenya’s Valary Aiyabei will also pose a threat.