TOKYO (Reuters) – The Olympic torch relay from Fukushima kicked off on Thursday, starting a four-month countdown to the Tokyo Summer Games, delayed by 2020 and the first ever scheduled at time of global pandemic.
The following are reactions to the start of the relay.
SEIKO HASHIMOTO, TOKYO 2020 COMMITTEE CAN:
“Over the past year with the world experiencing difficult times, the Olympic flame has been kept alive quietly but powerfully. The little flame did not lose hope and just as the warm cherry buds were ready to grow, it was waiting for this day. “
YURIKO KOIKE, TOKYO GOVERNOR:
“I believe that the relay of torches, which is now beginning, through the co-operation of the Japanese people traveling safely across the country will lead to the Olympics, a road of hope that will ‘push recovery (disaster) to a higher gear and become a step towards a sustainable recovery from the pandemic. ”
MASAO UCHIBORI, FUKUSHIMA MAKING GOVERNMENT:
“Ten years have passed since the East Japan catastrophe and the nuclear disaster, and the recovery of Fukushima is steadily underway. But there are still many people who cannot return to their homes, and many difficult issues such as the regeneration of these areas, the reconstruction of the lives of the residents, and the rumors that still exist. So you can say that our improvement is still infinite. “
PROTESTOR BY LOUDSPEAKER, FINDING THE WAY:
“You have to joke! Everyone knows we can’t have the Olympics. “
Reporting with Elaine Lies, Mari Saito, Ju-min Park and Issei Kato; edited by Richard Pullin