One of the most anticipated events coming to Tokyo in 2020 is the summer Olympics. Historically, Tokyo has only hosted the Summer Olympics on one other occasion; in 1964. Attending the Tokyo 2020 Olympics is something I am seriously considering, so looking into Japan;s past hosting the even became the the main topic of this weeks blog post.
According to multiple sources, Tokyo was slotted to host the Olympics in 1940, but due to their invasion into China, later relinquished that right. After World War II, Japan faced a bleak economic outlook, and was initially denied their first bid for the 1960 Olympics. After persisting, Japan won their bid for the 1964 games, symbolizing a re-acceptance into the world community and, “the end of a long bleak period for many Japanese”. However, reportedly there was major discourse concerning whether Japan would be able to complete the necessary preparations to host the games.
After being awarded the Olympics, a series of major development projects were undertaken which included; new highways, sports venues, hotels, airports and railway lines. However, perhaps the most well known was the construction of the Tokaido Shinkansen, or bullet train, connecting Tokyo and Osaka. There were societal changes as well, as Japan saw an increase in popularity of sports clubs and training centers for citizens of any age, which the legacy of can still be seen to this day.
While researching its seems as if some historians are of the opinion hosting the 1964 Olympics were a guise to rehabilitation of classical national symbols. In this way, the Olympics became a significant political game for Japan as well. The ultimate goal being to restore national pride and faith in the emperor, while painting themselves as a symbol of peace. Faith as to be restored in the empower by bypassing the first article on the new Japanese Constitution; ” “the Emperor shall be the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people.” What is significant about this fact, lies in the fact the emperor could not legally make the official proclamation traditionally held at the beginning of the games, without overstepping the boundaries put forth by the first article. Instead, the Organizing Committee and the Ministry of education gave him the title “Patron of the Tokyo Olympics” which allowed him to make the proclamation, as well as squash any public speculation over the emperor’s status, and whether he truly remained the head of the nation. Comparisons were made between the bids for the 1964 and 2020 Olympics, with some historians claiming the 2020 bid is problematic for its attempt to revive the atmosphere of the 1964 games, and as a result it’s nationalistic spirit.
In the article Tokyo – Bidding for the Olympics and the Discrepancies of Nationalism by Satoshi Shimizu, Shimizu calls attention to the bidding process, and Japan’s role after failing to secure the 2016 bid as well as the impact it had on Japan’s politics. It seems the Olympics may have played some hand in the Liberal Democratic Party taking control of the nation’s affairs from the Democratic Party in 2012. Shimizu later goes on to state, ” the sporting world of Japan is strongly influenced by people with intentions”, using the manipulation of the Basic Act on Sport as evidence. The act was adjusted to make Tokyo more appealing as a candidate, but is seen more as manipulation at the hands of bureaucracy instead of a serious demand from the Japanese citizens. In this way one could argue Japan is taking a page from its nationalistic past, choosing to create another political game by means of the 2020 games. This argument gains more support, given Prime Minister Abe being open about using the games as a way to make Japan a lead actor in international relations, as quoted in the article.
An interesting counter argument to this viewpoint I came across was from a BBC radio interview with Paul Droubie, who serves as an expert in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He is of the opinion the differences between the games are actually much larger than the similarities. The previous bid was mainly made to help support much needed urban development, and issue the Tokyo of today no longer suffers from. He doesn’t deny the 1964 were mainly motivated for political reasons, but Japan no longer is in the same position before, when casting bids for political reasons was the driving force behind hosting the Olympics.
Attending the Olympics has been a long standing item from my bucket list. As the summer of 2020 quickly approaches, it seems like like my goal may finally be actualized. It will be interesting the changes Japan makes as it prepares for the games, and I will be able to witness some of them firsthand. Likewise I am interesting in learning what sort of opinions Japanese citizens have about them hosting the Olympics and if they have anything to add to the ongoing discussion.
🏯koukainashijapan🏯 