The decision was made because of the postponement of the Olympic and Paralympic Games until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, organisers said.

The Nippon Festival was aimed at fostering awareness of diversity around the Games and showcasing Japanese society, with many events co-hosted alongside other organisations such as local authorities, cultural groups or sporting bodies.

Tokyo 2020 was responsible for hosting four events - one of which, an opera and kabuki crossover due to take place on April 18, had already been cancelled - and the other three have now suffered the same fate.

The themes of the other three events were "wassai" - a traditional festival chant in Japan - working towards an inclusive society and the reconstruction of the Tōhoku region, where more than 15,000 people perished in 2011 following a tsunami. 

All other Nippon Festival events not directly organised by Tokyo 2020 will also no longer be staged this year.

As a whole, the Nippon Festival had been due to run from March until September.

"Rearrangement of the Festival in 2021 is currently under consideration, as is the content and scheduling, and details will be announced as soon as these are decided", said a Tokyo 2020 statement. 

"The organisers of the individual co-hosted events will decide if and when to reschedule these."

The coronavirus crisis has escalated in Japan since the postponement of the Games, with 25 new COVID-19 deaths reported today - the highest increase in a single day seen in the country so far.

A nationwide state of emergency has been declared, which may have made it impossible for Nippon Festival events to be staged. 

Japan has more than 11,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, with Tokyo accounting for more than 3,000 of those.