City volunteers recruited from Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures helped out at and around the Fukushima Azuma Baseball Stadium and Miyagi Stadium, as well as for the Torch Relay. Although the number of volunteers was reduced considerably due to the pandemic, the Games could not have been operated without volunteers, whose social contributions were highly appreciated by overseas athletes, the media, and many others. The Tokyo 2020 Games have further raised people’s awareness of social contribution, which is anticipated to drive efforts toward realizing a harmonious and inclusive society.

The “Tokyo 2020 Recovery Monuments” were exhibited in front of the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery near the Olympic Stadium, carrying messages from disaster-affected regions. Intended as a means of connecting the areas hit by the disaster with the rest of the world, the project aimed to encourage the athletes, with the messages, to display their best performance, which, in turn, would empower the recovery efforts in affected areas. The monuments were produced with aluminum construction materials recycled after they were used for the window frames of temporary housing built in the three affected prefectures. Students from Tokyo University of the Arts and junior and senior high school students from the prefectures collaborated in a workshop to create the monuments’ design images and messages.
In December 2021, the monuments were installed in the three disaster-hit prefectures: Oshacchi at Otsuchi Town Cultural Exchange Center in Iwate, Grande 21 at Miyagi Prefectural Sports Park in Miyagi, and J-Village in Fukushima. Printed on the monuments were words of gratitude from the students of affected areas for the support received and their messages of encouragement for athletes, along with some autographs of Tokyo 2020 athletes. The monuments placed in disaster-hit regions are believed to serve their purpose of passing on to the future, and sharing with many others, the thoughts of the students and athletes and their memories of the Games.

In March 2017, it was decided that the Tokyo 2020 Games athletes and support staff would be served dishes made with quality ingredients produced in disaster-affected regions to show how far their recovery efforts have come and how safe their foods were.
The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Reconstruction Agency co-hosted the World Press Briefing Reception, where they shared the current status of recovery with the overseas media and served dishes and sake made with ingredients from affected areas.
In the Olympic and Paralympic Village during the Games, foods from the three disaster-affected prefectures were served every day in the dining halls, the prefecture of origin for each ingredient was displayed on monitors at the Casual Dining Hall, and posters created in English, French and Japanese were posted in the Main Dining and Casual Dining Halls to pronounce that safe and secure ingredients from Fukushima and other affected prefectures were used for the dishes served.
Athletes shared through social media how delicious and highly appreciated the Japanese foods were, including those grown in affected regions, which helped promote Japanese cuisine. In addition, the U.S. and Australia’s head softball coaches commented that peaches grown in Fukushima were “delicious,” which had an enormous effect on wiping out reputational damage.
Victory bouquets made with flowers grown in the three affected prefectures added glamor to the Victory Ceremony and charmed the world. Furthermore, wood from the three affected prefectures was used for the entrance gate eaves of the Olympic Stadium and facilities at the Olympic and Paralympic Village Plaza where athletes stayed during the Games.

The spread of COVID-19 made it difficult to draw visitors to affected regions and promote their foods through tasting events, but the Reconstruction Agency conducted publicity efforts both online and through other means.
Major initiatives in Japan included the Children’s Olympic Games for Reconstruction implemented in July 2021, in which opportunities were provided for children to interact with professional athletes, learn about recovery and reconstruction, and enjoy a taste of foods produced in the three affected prefectures. The program aimed at encouraging the children in affected regions, helping them better understand the significance of restoration efforts, and appreciate the fascinating aspects of their local regions. In addition, from the same month, advertisement posters and video footage were placed inside and outside the JR Yamanote Line train cars to promote various scenes and attractions of affected regions and publicize the Recovery and Reconstruction Games.
As part of our efforts for the international community, in February 2021 the Reconstruction Agency published and distributed the Media Guidebook jointly with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and Tokyo Metropolitan Government to outline the recovery and reconstruction initiatives related to the Games, including the Torch Relay, competitions held in affected regions, and the utilization of foods, wood and flowers from such regions.
Furthermore, also with the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and Tokyo Metropolitan Government, we installed a Reconstruction Booth in the Main Press Centre. Here, we presented slides and video footage to share the status of recovery in affected areas and publicize the foods and flowers produced in the three affected prefectures, which would be used at the Games. We also gave out postcards with QR codes that provided access to detailed information on food safety, thereby publicizing the alluring food and tourist spots offered in affected areas and prompting overseas media to cover such information. At the same time, local disaster storytellers and producers, as well as government agencies (Reconstruction Agency, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries), organized briefing sessions to express appreciation for the support received, shed light on the attractive aspects of the regions, and dispel groundless rumors.

Katsuei Hirasawa, then Minister of Reconstruction, delivered a message to the public immediately preceding the opening of the Tokyo 2020 Games to underscore the significance of the Recovery and Reconstruction Games.