In a hearing in the Japanese Parliament, Hashimoto said that the contract with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) requires the games to be decided in 2020.
"It can be interpreted as possible to postpone," she said according to the BBC, adding:
-We do everything possible to ensure that the games continue as planned.
According to the AFP news agency, Hashimoto added that late May looks like an "important benchmark" for deciding whether to decide the games as planned.
-We make every effort to convince the IOC that the Tokyo Olympics can be decided safely, she says.
In Japan, schools are closed and several sporting events have been affected by the outbreak of the virus. Among other things, a test competition in wheelchair rugby for Paralympics has been postponed, as well as a test competition in climbing before the Olympics.
IOC chairman Thomas Bach said last week that he is "absolutely certain" that the Olympics will be decided as planned on July 24 - August 9. The IOC Board has a meeting in Lausanne on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss the corona virus, among other things. Before Bach entered the board meeting, he again conveyed the same message:
"We are preparing for a successful Tokyo 2020 Olympics," he said according to AFP.