The Tokyo Olympics were supposed to showcase Japan’s recovery efforts following the devastating 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster. That opportunity appears to be evaporating in the intense summer heat and rising number of COVID-19 cases.
Like other volunteers, Michiko Saito has been excited to participate in the softball matches that kicked off this week in her native Fukushima — the prefecture that experienced the world's worst nuclear meltdown since Chernobyl in 1986.
In a symbolic move, Fukushima Azuma Stadium has been chosen as the venue for the very first event of the Games, where defending softball champion Japan took on Australia on Wednesday, ahead of Friday’s opening ceremony in Tokyo.