OSAKA -- The Tokyo Olympic torch was passed Tuesday to runners in Osaka Prefecture, who followed a course within the Expo '70 Commemorative Park in Suita, in place of the originally planned route on public roads.
Members of the general public were not present as torchbearers ran over three kilometers divided into 15 sections, passing such landmarks as the iconic Tower of the Sun and the National Museum of Ethnology.
It was the first time for part of the ongoing torch relay to be canceled on public roads.
Kabuki actor Kataoka Ainosuke started as the first runner at about 9:15 a.m. Tuesday. A planned ceremony was canceled as well, and Kataoka began running amid applause from staff.
Aya Terakawa, an Olympic bronze medalist in the backstroke, smiled at photographers as she ran by the Tower of the Sun.
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