Japan Testing New Tech To Allow More Fans In Stadiums

Crowds at Yokohama Stadium may reach full capacity over the weekendgetty images

Officials in Japan are "using some high-tech devices to see if they can fill sports stadiums closer to capacity." The baseball stadium in Yokohama will be "used this weekend in an experiment to test if its 32,000 seats can be filled safely." Japanese professional baseball games are being played there, but "only using half the seats." On Friday, the crowd was "capped at 16,000." But on Saturday and Sunday it is "expected to reach 32,000 -- a full house." Officials are "using high-precision cameras, carbon dioxide-monitoring devices and wind-speed measuring machines as part of countermeasures against COVID-19." The findings will be reported to the government. The Yokohama baseball stadium will be "used as a venue" for next year's Tokyo Games (AP, 10/30).