The Olympic flame, lit amid a worldwide pandemic, shined light on the performances of the athletes, who left an indelible impression as they strove for glory. But also illuminated were the wider issues of Japanese politics, the functioning of society, and the meaning of the Olympics itself. What will be the legacy of the second Olympics hosted by Tokyo, 57 years after the first?
This article is the first installment of a series in which The Yomiuri Shimbun considers that question.
It was a different Olympics from the very beginning.
On the night of July 23, the Emperor officially opened the Games by saying, "I declare open the Games of Tokyo commemorating the 32nd Olympiad of the modern era."
He was reading a Japanese translation of the English text stipulated in the Olympic Charter. The charter uses the word "celebrating," which is translated as "iwau," but the Emperor's text, translated by the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee, used the more neutral Japanese word "kinen-suru," which means "commemorate." The word must have been regarded as more appropriate amid the pandemic.
Why hold an Olympics that could not be celebrated? It was the Olympians who taught us the significance of the Games with their words and emotions that touched our hearts.
"I understand that there were mixed opinions on [holding the Olympics]," judoka Shohei Ono told reporters after winning the gold medal in the men's 73-kilogram division. "But for us athletes, we are honored if, by watching us, people experience a moment that touches their hearts."
The athletes had endured much themselves. The Games were postponed for a year. There were times they couldn't train or compete. And at the Olympics, their movements were highly restricted. It can never be said that the Tokyo Games were proof of a "victory" over the coronavirus. But through the Games, many people must have found significance in sharing determination to overcome obstacles.
Before the display of this attitude by the athletes, no strong or compelling messages had come out of the Japanese government, nor the Tokyo metropolitan government, nor the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee. Because of that, it created divisions in Japan, and public opinion became split over holding the Games.
Since taking office in September last year, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga repeatedly said that holding the Tokyo Olympics would be "proof of humanity overcoming the coronavirus." However, once that became unrealistic, he was reduced to making abstract statements such as "having a Games that is safe and secure" or "taking thorough measures against infections."
The central government's go-to excuse that "Tokyo is the organizer," could no longer hold water. The decision to postpone the Games for a year was made by then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. It should have been Suga taking the lead in stressing the significance of holding the Games in a situation where the pandemic was not yet contained.
Like Suga, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike also repeatedly talked about "holding a safe and secure Games."
The value of holding the Olympics seemed to finally seep into the public psyche when the athletes embodied their determination to overcome the obstacles. The politicians were saved by the Olympic athletes.
It's not over yet. The Paralympics start on Aug. 24.
The motto of the Tokyo 2020 Games is "United by Emotion." Political leaders need to convey the significance of holding such an event with strong messaging, so that the peoples' feelings can be united in support.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
