The Tokyo Olympic torch relay begins in the shadow of Fukushima

FUKUSHIMA / TOKYO (Reuters) – The Olympic torch relay took off from Fukushima on Thursday, starting a four-month countdown to the Tokyo Summer Games, delayed since 2020 and the first to be launched way ever at a global pandemic.

Around 10,000 runners will carry the torch across 47 prefectures of Japan and remote islands, starting from the site of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed about 20,000 people and caused tens of thousands to flee from plugs live radio.

There were no spectators in the first section of the relay, to prevent large crowds, and roadside spectators elsewhere have to wear masks and social distance while Japan fights it. the deadly virus and scrambles to vaccinate its people.

“For the past year, as the whole world was under a difficult time, the Olympic flame was kept alive quietly but powerfully,” Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto said at the opening ceremony.

“The little flame did not lose hope, and just like the warm cherry buds ready to grow, it was waiting for this day,” Hashimoto said.

Throwing a pall over the receptions, North Korea launched at least two projectiles suspected of being ballistic missiles hours before the relay began, the first such trial reported since its inception. US President Joe Biden in January.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga assured reporters in Tokyo that the government was cooperating with the Tokyo government and the International Olympic Committee to keep the Games secure.

“We will do our best with coronavirus measures and continue to work with related areas to prevent the spread of disease and hope to work towards safe Games,” said Suga.

Japan has outperformed most countries during the pandemic, with less than 9,000 coronavirus deaths. But a third wave of disease has pushed the numbers to high levels, triggering a state of emergency in Tokyo and other areas that picked up this week.

The majority of the public is against the Olympics being held as expected, census shows show, and Japan has been at the slowest rate among advanced economies with its spread vaccine.

NO CROWDS NO CHEERING

The relay, which culminates in an Olympic opening ceremony on July 23, has been punctuated by a number of high-profile runners-up events as celebrities and top athletes have pulled out, citing late announcements and concerns about pandemic.

The inauguration ceremony was held at J-Village in Fukushima, a sports center that was turned for several years into a platform for workers decommissioning the crumbling nuclear power plant.

“To see the torch relay, make sure you have a mask on, keep the right distance, don’t be close together and support things like hitting, instead of using a loud voice,” he said. convener at the site.

Members of Japan’s women’s national football team used the Olympic flame, which arrived from Greece last year, to light the torch.

The runners, some wearing masks and white uniforms decorated in red, ran out of J-Village and passed the flame to the next runner. About a dozen workers accompanied the runner, racing together and following a van directing the relay.

Helicopters for live broadcast continued the run but only a few spectators lined the roads, keeping pace, hitting and flying, waiting for the torch to pass.

The short and solemn concert – originally planned for thousands of fans in celebration of Japan’s passing – was closed to the public.

There were a number of low-profile events, including a drum and dance concert with a group of Fukushima residents, followed by a children’s choir.

Several officers and athletes stood on a platform decorated with flowers from the disaster-stricken areas of the settlement using traditional Japanese ikebana techniques.

“Fukushima’s revival is going on steadily,” Fukushima governor Masao Uchibori said at the announcement.

“But there are still many people who cannot return to their homes, and many difficult issues such as the regeneration of these areas, the rebuilding of residents’ lives,” he said.

The torch travels through some of the worst-hit areas.

Japan has spent nearly $ 300 billion to revitalize the region, but many locals are worried about the Games, as areas in Fukushima remain borderless, concerns about lower radiation and much more. away from settling elsewhere. Decommissioning can take up to a hundred years and cost billions of dollars.