The caldron that flamed for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics was removed from the National Stadium in Tokyo on Friday, the 50th anniversary of the opening of the games, and will go on show in the area devastated by the March 2011 tsunami.
It will be loaned to the city of Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture for display at a coastal park that is scheduled to be built there, although no date has been set for its dispatch.
The 2.1-meter, 2.6-ton caldron was a symbol of Japan's recovery from World War II and reacceptance into the global community when Tokyo was chosen to host the games.
"It will be nice if (the caldron) gives encouragement to disaster victims," an Ishinomaki municipal official said.
The caldron will eventually return to the National Stadium. The old building will be demolished by the end of the year and rebuilt as the main venue for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics and Paralympics.
