International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach speaks at a press conference after the IOC executive board meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, May 3, 2018. Photo:Xinhua

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach will visit Japan in mid-November and meet new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Tokyo 2020 organizing committee CEO Toshiro Muto said here on Friday.

Muto told a news conference that Bach, whose scheduled visit in May was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will also talk to Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori.

But Muto added that he does not know the exact date of Bach's arrival. Japan's Kyodo news agency reported earlier that it might be November 16 or 17.

Mori said last month that Bach expected to visit Japan in late October.

A man wearing protective face masks walk past the logo of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games displayed on a wall of The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Tokyo, Japan, March 25, 2020.Photo:Xinhua

Suga talked to Bach in a phone call soon after he took office last month, discussing ways to ensure the "success" of next year's rescheduled Tokyo Olympics.

The Japanese Prime Minister has said that holding the Olympics next year is "the top priority" of his government.

Muto reassured reporters on Friday that the Tokyo Olympics will be held, saying, "Next year, the Tokyo 2020 Games will be held. That is our determination. That is also the determination of the Japanese government and our prime minister."

"We would like all athletes to focus on their practise without worries," said Muto.