Olympia in Japan: The question of the meaning

The 1940 Olympic Games in Tokyo did not take place.

After the attack on China, Japan no longer seemed acceptable to host abroad.

Tokyo canceled in its own interest in 1938.

The missing games, as they are called, are reminiscent of an inglorious past and are often swept under the carpet in Japan.

The 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo were the first in Asia and brought democratized Japan back into the group of internationally respected countries. From the timekeeping in the stadiums to the Shinkansen high-speed train, Japan demonstrated state-of-the-art technology and converted the capital into a modern metropolis in a tremendous and expensive effort. Tokyo 1964 gave the world a foretaste of what was later feared under the catchphrase "Japan AG" and is now being negotiated under the catchphrase Asian Century.

What significance will the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games have, which will open a year late on Friday due to the corona pandemic?

The games were intended as a symbol and as a boost, as a second 1964. The government wanted to show the world that Japan had mastered and overcome the decades of deflation and the reconstruction in the northeast after the devastating earthquake and flood disaster in 2011, despite the nuclear ruin of Fukushima.

Bizarre sounding records

There is not much left of these plans, neither economically nor humanly. Not hundreds of thousands of visitors and tourists with purchasing power and confidence populate the streets of the capital. But fear of the pandemic and anger about the government are spreading in Tokyo. Without spectators and under strict anti-Covid rules, the paint on the games is already off before the first athletes fight for medals.

There are certainly enough superlatives that Japanese politicians can use to warm their hearts. The President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, praises the best-prepared Games of all time. Tokyo becomes the first Asian city to host the Olympic Games twice, earning that title a few months before rival Beijing. In terms of the number of female and male athletes, Tokyo 2020 is the most gender-equitable Olympic sports festival to date. It is the first Olympic Games to be postponed. And it's the first Olympic Games to be held in the middle of a pandemic.

These records sound bizarre.

They do not hide the fact that Japan and the organizers are taking a calculated risk with the games.

The massive controls and tests and vaccinations of most of the Olympic participants should ultimately prevent the international sporting event from becoming a corona debacle.

But the risk and fears in the population remain.

Many Japanese ask what the meaning of the games is, why.

For the athletes, the standard answer is.

That's a lot to ask when the Delta variant is rampant and Japan is not making quick enough progress with vaccinations.

For the finances of the IOC and the advertising revenue of American television stations?

The proverbial Mrs. Watanabe, who takes care of the family finances in Japan, doesn't care.

For the domestic economy? The push of the demolition and new construction of hotels and stadiums is over, and there is not much to be gained without spectators and tourists. For the nation, the former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe whispers from the political backdrops, who brought the games to Japan in Super Mario costume. But his intervention was hardly noticed. For the spectators who are not allowed into the stadiums? As a symbol that mankind united over the virus? To ask the questions means to answer them in the negative.

The Japanese government and the IOC pushed through the Olympic Games in Tokyo with force, without really listening to the concerns of the people.

This damages the reputation of the Olympic movement in Japan more than a cancellation of the games under the sign of Corona would have done.

But the residents of future candidate cities will also have closely followed the events around Tokyo 2020.

A general election is due in Japan in the fall.

The government will feel the displeasure with the games, regardless of whether they mutate into a corona sling or not.

But the opposition is weak, and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's internal party rivals are keeping cover.

Suga's position doesn't seem to be in danger yet.

Successful Olympic Games require that the population go along with them and let themselves be inspired by the spectacle. That was neglected for Tokyo 2020 in the unconditional will to save the games despite Corona. It will take many spectacular successes by Japanese athletes to make up for this failure.