Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was seen in the audience at the Sochi Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, allegedly taking notes on cocktail napkins. Japan's leader has made it clear that he wants to create "a city that shines at the center of the world," referring to Tokyo, the host of the 2020 Summer Olympics. While the PM's economic reforms have become known as "Abenomics," the Tokyo games are already being referred to in similar parlance as the Abe 'Lympics. Having previously hosted the summer quadrennial in 1964, Tokyo will be the first Asian city to host an Olympiad twice.
Gleaned from the serviette notes, one journalist was able to decipher, among bleeding ink on damp pulp, the words "giant animal mascots!" Some people now fear that Japan's cute animal characters, such as Hello Kitty and Doraemon, could experience unnatural growth spurts in the lead-up to Tokyo 2020. Let's hope character goods don't follow, or Japanese children could end up carrying giant pencil cases to school.
Yoichi Masuzoe, Tokyo's controversial new governor, has pledged to make the Tokyo games the best in history. The 65-year-old, in an interview in his Tokyo home while watching the Sochi events on his equally aging TV, said, "I would like to show people from all over the world how attractive Tokyo is." He then adjusted the rabbit-ear antennas to get a better picture. Masuzoe, known for his fear of menstruating women, said that Japan will welcome all female Olympic competitors who feel fit enough to compete, no matter what time of the month it is.