About the Recovery Olympics
What are the Recovery Olympics?
The Recovery Olympics is about showing our gratitude to those around the world who have been supporting the areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and sharing stories of the ongoing reconstruction in these areas so that people in Japan and overseas can deepen their understanding and sense of empathy for those affected.
The Olympics is also about highlighting the charms of these regions, such as locally produced food products, which will be used on various occasions related to the Games, and tourist spots that might be visited during the Games. By building connections with local people who make these regions flourish, we hope to attract your interest in these fascinating places both during and after the Games, whether it starts with a simple “That’s something I’d like to buy” or “That’s somewhere I’d like to go.”
We also hope to inspire those living in the affected areas by bringing events like the Olympic competitions and the torch relay closer to them, and thus further supporting the reconstruction process.
This has been one of the core ideas of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 since Tokyo made a bid to host the Tokyo 2020 Games, and we have been providing updates on the reconstruction progress to achieve this goal.
Government Initiatives Toward the Recovery Olympics and Paralympics
We have compiled and announced initiatives by relevant Ministries and Agencies toward the Recovery Olympics and Paralympics based on the “Basic Policy for Promoting Measures related to Preparations for and Management of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo in 2020” (approved by the Cabinet on November 27, 2015).
Message from the Minister for Reconstruction
The Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be held in 2021, marking 10 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake.
The Tokyo 2020 Games will be a great opportunity to show our gratitude to the world for their support in the aftermath of the disaster and to spread awareness of the reconstruction work being undertaken in the affected areas. The starting point of the torch relay will be J-Village in Fukushima Prefecture. Football matches will be held in Miyagi Prefecture, while softball and baseball matches will be held in Fukushima Prefecture.
Victory bouquets primarily comprised of flowers cultivated in the disaster-hit areas will be handed to the medalists of 878 sports for 55 competitions in total.
The Tokyo 2020 Games will indeed be the “Recovery Olympics,” and the one-year postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic has not changed this at all. The reconstruction of the affected areas is steadily progressing thanks to the continuous efforts of the local residents and the support and cooperation of people from abroad as well as in Japan. However, challenges still remain—especially in Fukushima, which suffered a nuclear disaster.
One of the challenges is the negative reputation impact caused by the nuclear accident. Negative reputation have caused import restrictions on agriculture, forestry, and fishery products from the affected areas to still be enforced in some countries and regions. I hope to take advantage of the global exposure of the Tokyo 2020 Games to clarify that such negative reputation are groundless.
Further, the affected areas have many attractions, including delicious food, beautiful flowers, and fascinating tourist destinations. Through the Tokyo 2020 Games, we hope to promote these charms both domestically and internationally so that many people may come and see the current situation of the affected areas for themselves. The local people are very excited about the Tokyo 2020 Games, and we sincerely hope that the Tokyo 2020 Games, an event that is building connections between the disaster-affected areas and people in Japan and overseas, will bring confidence, hope, and courage to those affected and further move forward the reconstruction effort.
The Minister for Reconstruction HIRASAWA Katsuei
Watch “Power of Sports in Tohoku”
One of our missions is to use the opportunity presented to us by the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 to encourage people in the affected areas and further support reconstruction by raising awareness both domestically and internationally of the current state and attractions in the affected areas as they undergo reconstruction.
The Reconstruction Agency has created a video that introduces the affected areas undergoing reconstruction from the perspective of sports.
We hope that this video will draw you closer to Tohoku, where the people are positively moving on through the power of sports and hopefully you can come visit.
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2020 and Beyond, Thank you to the World
The origin of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 is the Olympic and Paralympic Games aimed at recovery and reconstruction.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government believes that Tokyo 2020 Games will show the world a recovered Japan from the Great East Japan Earthquake and a return for friendships and encouragement from around the world.
We hope that this video provides an opportunity for you to learn about the activities of the high school students in the affected areas such as sports and involvement for the reconstruction, and we look forward to having people from all over the world at Tohoku ( Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures) .