The Games are set to be held largely behind closed doors, with all events in Tokyo and other prefectures under a state of emergency closed to the general public.

But Tokyo 2020 is providing an opportunity for children to be permitted at the venues courtesy of its schools’ programme.

According to Asahi Shimbun, organisers are facing resistance to their plan, with four of the five members of the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education voicing their objections.

It is reported the rising number of coronavirus cases in Tokyo is central to their opposition.

Tokyo topped 5,000 new infections for the fourth straight day yesterday.

"The [current] infection situation is worse than that during the Olympics," said Kaori Yamaguchi, a former Board member of the Japanese Olympic Committee who is now part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education.

"I have concerns about infection-prevention measures."

A survey carried out by Yomiuri Shimbun found that only the Tokyo wards of Koto and Shibuya and the city of Chiba had joined the schools' programme.

According to the report, 23 wards in Tokyo and seven municipalities that are home to Paralympic venues had been contacted as part of the study.

"This is regrettable, but we did so in consideration of the safety and welfare of the children," an official for the Setagaya ward told Yomiuri Shimbun.

Masa Takaya, spokesperson for Tokyo 2020, said a four-party meeting agreed to push ahead with the schools’ ticketing plan.

Tokyo 2020, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Japanese Government and Tokyo Metropolitan Government were involved in the meeting.

"We are absolutely ready to welcome these schoolchildren in the safest possible environment," said Takaya.

"The schools have to show they want to come to the venues.

"We roughly know how many children will come but cannot articulate exactly how many at this stage.

"The Tokyo Metropolitan Government already stated nearly 130,000 schoolchildren are expected, but that is not confirmed yet."

Takaya said Tokyo 2020’s spectator policy, which was previously set to be in place for the Olympics before the ban, stood at 5,000 per venue but said the number of children would be "much lower" than that figure.

"It is very, very clear since the beginning, there is a significance that schoolchildren watch and see those competitions live at the venues," said Takaya.

"We are absolutely keen to prevail the values of the Paralympic Games to these generations who will sustain our society in the future. 

"We are absolutely passionate about realising an inclusive society in future."

A city official in Chiba told the Yomiuri Shimbun the Paralympics would become a "lifelong asset" by helping children to "understand diversity and international issues".

IPC President Andrew Parsons was due to get further details on the schools’ programme during the organisation’s Governing Board meeting held in Tokyo today.

"This concept was presented to the IPC by the Japanese authorities in a four-party meeting last week," said Craig Spence, spokesperson for the IPC.

"We asked if it could be done safely and they said yes.

"We wouldn’t support the idea if it couldn’t be done safely.

"It is the same with the Paralympic Games.

"We wouldn’t be sitting here if we didn’t believe we could deliver the Games safely.

"If you look at one of the great legacies of the Sydney 2000 Games, it was the school programme.

"Hundreds of thousands of children came to the Games.

"Those youngsters are now in jobs, in positions of power in Australia.

"That’s why Australia is one of the most inclusive nations in terms of persons with disabilities.

"It’s really important we bring kids to the Games to see the action.

"If the situation changes dramatically, we’ve got the opportunity to meet and discuss again."