The torch relay ahead of the Tokyo Games will begin on March 26, 2020, in Fukushima Prefecture, one of the hardest-hit areas in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, to showcase the recovery from the disasters, games organizers said Thursday.
The plan was approved by representatives of the International Olympics Committee who were visiting Japan to inspect preparations for the 2020 Games.
At a news conference marking the end of the two-day IOC visit in Tokyo, Yoshiro Mori, president of the Tokyo Organising Committee, stressed the symbolic meaning of starting the traditional relay in Fukushima, saying it will be a symbol of the region's recovery and a chance for Japan to offer gratitude for the global support and encouragement received following the Great East Japan Earthquake.