Protesters faced off with police outside the national stadium on Friday as the opening ceremony for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games was about to begin. Police pushed back demonstrators trying to get near the venue hosting the starting ceremony of the delayed games. The protesters held up signs reading "Stop the Olympics - No Olympics" and "Cancel the Olympics! Save lives!" The Games, largely without spectators, are going ahead as the International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government face strong opposition within the host nation. The opening ceremony of the pandemic-delayed Games will be held without spectators as a measure to prevent the spread of coronavirus infections, although some dignitaries and invited guests will be in the stadium seats, including U.S. first lady Jill Biden. Many remaining seats are being filled by placards. There is little festivity ahead of the Games plagued by troubles involving opening ceremony staff, including Thursday's dismissal of director Kentaro Kobayashi over his past Holocaust joke. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's government faces criticism for prioritizing the Olympics despite public health concerns amid a resurgence of coronavirus infections. On Thursday, Tokyo hit another six-month high in new COVID-19 cases as worries grow of worsening infections during the Games. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm Subscribe to our newest channel Quicktake Explained: https://bit.ly/3iERrup Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world. To watch complete coverage on Bloomberg Quicktake 24/7, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/qt/live, or watch on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV and Android TV on the Bloomberg app. Have a story to tell? Fill out this survey for a chance to have it featured on Bloomberg Quicktake: https://cor.us/surveys/27AF30 Connect with us on… YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bloomberg Breaking News on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BloombergQuickTakeNews Twitter: https://twitter.com/quicktake Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quicktake Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quicktake