Top moments from the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony

The opening ceremony kicked off with a dance inspired by how sports can bring people together after a difficult year marked by a global pandemic.

Bright, moving lights filled the empty venue and the rhythm was meant to imitate a heartbeat as dozens of Japanese performers pranced across the stadium. 

Arisua Tsubata, a boxer and nurse who treated COVID-19 patients, helmed the opening dance performance from a treadmill in the center of the stadium grounds. 

Following the colorful dance event, the Japanese national anthem was sung by artist MISIA as the as the iconic flag was raised by members of Japan's Self-Defense Forces.

Japan’s Emperor Naruhito was in attendance, taking on the same role his grandfather held when he opened the Tokyo Olympics in 1964.

The ceremony then featured percussive performances meant to honor traditional Japanese carpentry arts. Beloved Japanese tap dancer Kazunori Kumagai also made a cameo performance. 

Fireworks erupted over the stadium, lighting up the sky and officially commencing the Summer Olympics.

The opening ceremony for the 2020 Summer Olympics has begun in Tokyo.

The event at Tokyo's Olympic Stadium will feature a lighting of the Olympic cauldron, a parade of some of the athletes and plenty of music.

The stands are virtually empty with less than 1,000 people actually seated in the venue, which can hold up to 68,000. But millions of viewers are watching from at home.

In attendance are approximately 6,000 athletes and team officials, 900 Games stakeholders and guests of honor along with 3,500 members of the press. U.S. first lady Jill Biden is among the dignitaries in the stands.

No spectators are allowed to attend the opening ceremony -- or any event in an Olympic venue in Tokyo during the Games -- as part of efforts to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection.

The Tokyo Olympics organizing committee and the Japanese government have faced criticism for pushing ahead with the Games this year, despite public health concerns amid rising COVID-19 cases. The opening ceremony is already mired in controversy of its own, with the latest incident happening on the eve of the event. The Tokyo Olympics organizing committee fired the ceremony's director, Kentaro Kobayashi, over a joke he made about the Holocaust as a comedian in 1998.

"We have been preparing for the last year to send a positive message," Seiko Hashimoto, president of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, said during a press conference Thursday. "Toward the very end now there are so many incidents that give a negative image toward Tokyo 2020."