The 'Recovery Olympics' take a back seat amid COVID-19 concerns
The Games were supposed to showcase Japan’s recovery efforts following the devastating 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster. Such efforts have been thwarted by the pandemic.
The many faces of Tokyo 2020’s charm offensive
Despite a lack of visitors and spectators at this year’s Olympics, an army of volunteers aims to do their best and make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Has the world had enough of the Olympics?
The Olympics are an easy target for criticism, never more than now. Do they still matter? Or have they lost their way and strayed from whatever ideals they purport to embody?
Looking back at some of Japan’s most memorable moments at the games since the country's 1912 debut in Stockholm.
When Tokyo unveiled its modernity to the world at the 1964 Olympics
The games confirmed Japan’s postwar re-integration into the international fold, but also served as a symbol of its modernization.
Heat risks add to challenges for Tokyo's pandemic-hit Olympics
Overheating can affect muscle and cardiovascular functions, which is made worse if athletes become dehydrated at the same time.
Not just COVID-19: Quakes and typhoons pose threat to Tokyo Olympics
Japan is regularly rattled by earthquakes and battered by typhoons, and experts warn that disaster preparation for the games should not take a back seat because of the virus.
Tokyo 2020’s Olympic uniforms are here to make a statement
Athletes’ uniforms illustrate the values each country wishes to embody. So think of the Olympics opening ceremony as one of the largest runway shows the world has to offer.
Olympic fan's bid to set world record spoiled by decision to ban spectators
Kazunori Takishima bought 100 Tokyo 2020 tickets, saving and planning for years in hopes of attending the most Olympic events ever.
Tokyo Olympics to bar fans under new COVID-19 emergency
Organizers made the unprecedented decision to close venues in the Tokyo area just two weeks ahead of the opening of the games.
Tokyo Olympics spectator issue moves into the political arena
With signs emerging of a new wave of infections in the capital, competing narratives are emerging about the safety of allowing fans at Olympic venues.
Trouble stirs amid the quest for gold and glory
Was it an ominous premonition or just another blunder by a gaffe-prone politician? During an Upper House finance committee meeting on March 18 last year, Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso described how exceptional events seem to overshadow the Olympics in 40-year intervals. Take the 1940 iterations, ...
