Tokyo 2020 Bid News

[FYI]

Baron is simply against Japan bcuz they give "boring" Opening Ceremonies. Too bad that we don't have some Japanese members on here that could blindly accuse him of being "criticizing & despising", & that he's 'not being objective' & is simply 'against' Tokyo!

[baron-pierreIV]

Which bits? The retractable roof? The ultra-compact arrangement of venues? The comfortable waiting area next to the stadium? ...

No. Centering the ceremonies on the "Athletes." Who are they????

As suspected, they will be throwing the idea of grand, glorious and no-expense-barred ceremonies (forgetting about the incidental athletes) a century back!! For that alone, they deserve to go out in Round One!!

[world atlas]

Tokyo 2020 bid at 2013 Fina World Championships in Barcelona

[baron-pierreIV]

Boooooooooo Hissssssssssss!!

[Athensfan]

That flesh color in their look is really unattractive.

[gotosy]

Tokyo committee says city is 'safe pair of hands'

TOKYO, Japan - Tokyo's Olympic bid committee said on Monday that the city was a "safe pair of hands" for hosting the 2020 Summer Games, with about six weeks to go before the venue is chosen.

"Everything is on track and we are confident of Tokyo's chances in the tough bidding race," Japanese Olympic Committee president Tsunekazu Takeda, who also heads the Tokyo 2020 bid committee, told a news conference.

"We are focused on winning the race, ensuring that the IOC (International Olympic Committee) knows Tokyo 2020 is a safe pair of hands in these uncertain times."

He added that organisers would try to sell the city's merits "until the final minute".

More than 100 IOC members will vote on September 7 in Buenos Aires to choose the winning venue as Japan's capital ramps up its bid to edge out rivals Madrid and Istanbul.

In recent months, Istanbul had been gripped by anti-government protests while much attention has focused on Spain's financial troubles.

But Takeda declined to say which offered the stiffest competition.

"It's very difficult to say - both cities are working very hard," he told about two dozen international media before a tour of the proposed Olympic facilities.

Tokyo is the only one among the three cities to have previously hosted the Olympics, in 1964, and it has emphasised its readiness to host a safe and well-funded Games with a reserve fund of $4.5 billion to help foot the bill.

Among the proposed venues is an 80,000-seat main stadium which will be built at a cost of 130 billion yen ($1.3 billion) and an Olympic village near the waterfront that could accommodate about 17,000 athletes and officials.

An IOC report last month said that about 85 percent of competition venues would be built within an eight-kilometre radius of the projected Olympic village to keep the games compact and offer a "unique celebration in the centre of the city".

On Monday, Takeda pointed to Tokyo's earthquake-proofing engineering and construction record to soothe concerns about a natural disaster after Japan's 2011 quake-sparked tsunami and subsequent nuclear accident.

He added that the city itself was protected by a harbour.

"If you are worried about tsunami, Tokyo is naturally protected," he said.

- AFP/de

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/sport/olympics-tokyo-committee/759818.html

[gotosy]

Olympics could be fourth arrow for Abenomics

If Tokyo wins its bid to be chosen as host city for the 2020 Summer Olympics, as the bookmakers are predicting, spending on the games could help to spur Japan’s economic recovery.

The International Olympic Committee will name the winner on September 7, with Istanbul and Madrid as the other main candidates. A win for Tokyo would obviously lead to additional infrastructure spending, and could also give an earnings boost to companies involved in media, consumption and security.

But the Olympic spirit could also have broader economic benefits, according to Nomura. “A 2020 Tokyo Olympics, together with the Abe administration’s economic strategies (Abenomics) and the long-term vision for Tokyo (Tokyo Vision 2020), could stimulate a revival in the Japanese economy,” said the Japanese broker in a report last week that identified six stocks that could benefit the most.

Plans for the Olympics include re-development of the national stadium, which was originally built for the 1964 games and is already scheduled for a $1 billion upgrade ahead of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, while other venues would need to be built from scratch and transport links to the Shinegawa district improved.

Consumers may also be inspired to spend more money on sports in the run-up to the games, said Nomura, particularly as golf will be included for the first time in 2016.

That could complement the government’s revitalisation strategy, which aims to achieve average nominal GDP growth of around 3% during the next 10 years, and to increase per capita gross national income by more than ¥1.5 million in 10 years’ time.

“If the government's growth strategies go according to plan, the benefits should be obvious to everyone by the time the Olympics are held (hopefully in Tokyo) in summer 2020, “ said Nomura. “In the same way that the 1964 Tokyo Olympics showed that Japan had entered the ranks of modern industrialised nations, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics could show that Japan is back.”

As compelling as all that sounds, the Japanese public did not embrace the bid at first, at a time when the 2011 earthquake and tsunami caused many to worry about energy shortages and public finances.

The Tokyo 2020 team even called on the services of Doraemon, a robotic anime cat from the 22nd century, to help persuade a sceptical public. And he may be helping. Nomura says that support for the bid is now growing, and that the benefits could extend beyond a local sales bump: the games could create a spirit of optimism throughout Japan.

“In the seven years leading up to the event, we think there could well be companies for which earnings could benefit from the rebuilding of social capital and changes in public sentiment.”

The six stocks that Nomura predicts will benefit from a winning bid are Taisei, the lead contractor for the new stadium; Taiheiyo Cement; East Japan Railway; Mitsui Fudosan, a property developer focused on Tokyo’s bayside area; Xebio, a sports retailer; and Sohgo Security Services.

The games would give Japan its first major world sporting event since it co-hosted the football World Cup in 2002 with South Korea.

http://www.financeasia.com/News/351480,olympics-could-be-fourth-arrow-for-abenomics.aspx

[gotosy]

Kishida to attend IOC session to support Tokyo's Olympic bid

Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida plans to attend a session of the International Olympic Committee in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Sept. 7, at which the host of the 2020 Summer Games will be selected, to support Tokyo's bid to stage the event, a government source said Wednesday.

Other members of the Cabinet, including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, are expected to attend the session in a last-ditch effort to bring the quadrennial event to the Japanese capital. Turkey's Istanbul and Spain's Madrid are also bidding to host the event.

An IOC session will convene on the evening of Sept. 6, with representatives of the three candidate cities scheduled to give their final presentations from the morning of Sept. 7. Voting will take place later in the afternoon to finalize the host city.

Kishida is expected to pitch Tokyo's relative safety to committee members during his stay. Abe plans to cut short his attendance at a summit of the Group of 20 major economies in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Sept. 5-6 to fly to Buenos Aires and join Tokyo's final push before the crucial vote.

During an IOC session in 2009 held to pick the host city of the 2016 Summer Games, then Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama delivered a presentation on behalf of Tokyo before the final vote. Rio de Janeiro was selected in the end.

==Kyodo

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/kyodo-news-international/130731/kishida-attend-ioc-session-support-tokyos-olympic-bid

[world atlas]

Fina World Championships Barcelona 2013 mascot in Tokyo 2020 booth

[Barten]

Japan Fin Min Aso: No Plan to Step Down as Finance Min
August 1, 2013, 9:54 p.m. ET The Wall Street Journal
TOKYO--Japan's finance minister said Friday that he has no intention of stepping down in response to domestic and international criticism over remarks he made referring to Nazi Germany.
"I have no intention to resign" as finance minister or as a member of parliament, Taro Aso said at a press conference following the morning's Cabinet meeting.
While reiterating that the misunderstanding caused by his remarks was regrettable and repeating his retraction of the remarks, he said "I have no intention to apologize."
During the speech on Monday, Mr. Aso--who also serves as deputy prime minister and was once prime minister--said Japan should learn how Germany's constitution under the Weimar Republic was transformed by the Nazis before anybody realized what was happening.
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20130801-721754.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

[Ikarus360]

^^ Yeah, sadly there are still many old senile nationalists people on Japanese politics who thinks they should return to the era where the Emperor was a God figure and stuff like that. Problem is that one of these guys finally slipped his tongue. And we're talking about a former PM here.

Former governor of Tokyo Shintaro Ishihara (who was still governor when they lost in 2009) is probably as bad or worst with these kind of remarks (he even said the 2011 Earthquake was God's punishment against the Japanese for their "selfish greed" )

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/the-japan-earthquake-and-punishment-from-god/

[gotosy]

Tokyo 2020 at Barcelona

8/2/2013
On the occasion of the arrival of the senior Tokyo 2020 delegation to Barcelona for the 15th FINA World Championships, the Tokyo 2020 Bid Committee celebrated the strong performances to date of the Japan Swimming Team, and remarked positively on the overall organisation of the event.

Tsunekazu Takeda, IOC Member and President of both Tokyo 2020 and the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC), said:

“Clearly many efforts have gone into making the FINA World Championships a world-class event, and we commend FINA, the local organising committee, and the many additional organisations involved in making it a success. The entire sporting community has benefited from the excellent work that has been accomplished, and on behalf of the Japanese athletes and spectators, I extend our gratitude.

“Barcelona is a special place for me, and being here brings back good memories. Twenty-one years ago I was here for the 1992 Summer Olympic Games as a team leader for Equestrian. There is a positive atmosphere here surrounding sport, and this week we are seeing it with aquatics. In Japan we also feel excitement in the air when it comes to sports. We are a country full of passion for sport, and that will be evident if we are granted the honour of hosting the Games in 2020. We guarantee to deliver superb Games which help to promote the Olympic Values for new generations in this challenging and fast-changing era for sport.”

Tokyo 2020

http://www.aroundtherings.com/articles/view.aspx?id=44048

[franxavi]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23578859

[gotosy]

Tokyo 2020 Celebrates with Japan Swimming Team at 2013 FINA World Championships

The Japan swimming team back the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Bid / Tokyo 2020

Barcelona, 5 August 2013 - All 31 members of the Japan Swimming Team gathered to celebrate and express their unanimous support for Tokyo 2020's athlete-focused Games Bid after concluding 16 days of competition in the 15th FINA World Championships.

Taking home Swimming medals in Men's 400m Individual Medley, Men's 400m Freestyle, Men's 200m Medley, Women's 50m Backstroke, Women's 100m Backstroke, and the Men's 400m Medley Relay, the 15 men and 16 women celebrated strong performances across all of the events in which they participated. During the Championships in Barcelona, a Tokyo 2020 delegation was on-site to support the Japan Swimming Team, and to highlight the Bid's three key strengths: Delivery, Celebration, and Innovation.

Japan's Daiya Seto claimed an emphatic victory in the Men's 400m Individual Medley. With a time of 4:08.69, the 19-year old Seto became the first winner of a medley world championship gold medal from Japan. The country is also celebrating medals from 18 year-old Kosuke Hagino, who earned silver medals in both the 200m Individual Medley and 400m Freestyle. In the latter, Hagino clocked a new Japanese record of 3:44.82, and also became the first Japanese athlete in 53 years to win a medal in this event. Aya Terakawa took the bronze in the Women's 50m and 100m Backstroke.

"My dream is for Tokyo to be the host of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020, for the benefit of the city and also for the sake of international sport," said Hagino, who won bronze in the 400m individual medley during London 2012.

"I love to swim, and sport has changed my life. There is a real passion for sport among Japanese people, and I think this makes Tokyo the best place for the Games seven years from now. We will showcase the power of sport, and that will be inspiring for youth all over the world," he added.

Tokyo 2020's plan proposes to renew and reinforce the Olympic Values for a new generation by offering the best stage for the world's greatest sport celebration. The city's innovative Games plan includes a new state-of-the-art Olympic Aquatics Centre. This waterfront venue will have a view on the Tokyo Bay, and will be less than 5 kilometres from the Olympic Village.

The Aquatics Centre will hold an impressive 20,000 spectators - the largest capacity for such a venue in recent Olympic Games. Such a well-designed and centrally-located venue will create a celebratory atmosphere during the Games, which will spur elite athletes on to incredible Olympic and Paralympic performances. The Water polo arena will be a temporary venue with a capacity of 6,500 and will be located right next to the Aquatics Centre. Both venues are just a 10 minute trip from the Olympic Village.

All of Tokyo's aquatics venues are fully in accordance with advice received from FINA. "FINA and Japan have enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship," said Tsunekazu Takeda, IOC Member and President of both Tokyo 2020 and the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC).

"I would like to congratulate FINA, under the strong leadership of Dr. Julio C. Maglione, the local organising committee, and the many additional organisations involved for this successful Championships. It is sure to be a highly-memorable event, thanks to so many strong performances by so many strong athletes," Takeda added. "Japan's team performed very well here, and our supporters who travelled to Barcelona to cheer on the team are evidence of the passion for sport that Japan exhibits on a daily basis. And even at the corporate level this passion for sport is clear: two of FINA's seven official partners are Japanese companies."

"Across Japan, from all levels, the Tokyo 2020 Bid is well-supported. We have full government backing, support from the business community and from individuals across the country, and we are looking forward to having the chance to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020," Takeda said.

http://www.sportsfeatures.com/presspoint/pressrelease/53914/tokyo-2020-celebrates-with-japan-swimming-team-at-2013-fina-world-championships

[paul]

A couple days ago another 6.0 quake hit the same area and got near zero coverage recently. Japan continues to cover up the disastrous radioactive contamination they are dumping into the Pacific. I would never repay Japan by awarding them the games after their terrible planning and handling of Fukashima and the continuing contamination they are spewing out.

Fukushima shaken by 6.0 magnitude quake

[baron-pierreIV]

Uhmmm...you have SEVEN years to prepare for an Olympic Games, ZERO seconds to foresee an earthquake. Please get real, Paul.

[paul]

Uhmmm...you have SEVEN years to prepare for an Olympic Games, ZERO seconds to foresee an earthquake. Please get real, Paul.

You actually have decades of planning leading up to the operation of a nuclear power plant, which includes preparing and contingency planning for any natural disaster that may affect its safe operation or emergency containment of radioactive materials that could result in meltdown. Then when something does happen you have an obligation to deal with it directly and honestly to avoid any additional damage that may be suffered as a result, TEPCO and the Japanese government did not cover up as much as Russia did at Chernobyl but they were back on their heels making many missteps in containing the radioactive contamination that has been spewing out ever since March 11, 2011. They have never been forthcoming with information to their own citizens of Japan or the world.

We have NO idea what contamination is in the Pacific, Hawaii, California...etc.

[paul]

Fukushima Prefecture requests Japanese government remove TEPCO from management of Fukushima Daiichi decommissioning

It is no secret that Tokyo Electric is incapable of containing the disaster at Fukushima Daiichi, and often their actions have had adverse affects which have worsened conditions on-site. For example, TEPCO had begun operations onsite to reduce the amount of contaminated water on-site by injecting chemicals into the ground to prevent the contaminated groundwater from reaching the Pacific Ocean, only to find that the water began piling up until it flooded over the barriers and continued its migration into the sea. But after nearly two and a half years after the March 11^th earthquake and tsunami, experts from Japan and around the world are calling for the Japanese government to intervene and remove the utility from management of the site. ....more in link.

[paul]

Radioactivity levels in Fukushima groundwater increase 47-fold over 5 days

Fukushima radioactive water leak is considered an “emergency”

TEPCO withheld groundwater information from NRA officials in meeting

TEPCO has a different view of safety than the public

Edited August 6, 2013 by paul

[franxavi]

Multiple experts have pointed out the timing of the Japanese elections and TEPCO’s announcement, wondering if the public had received confirmation earlier if it would have prevented Prime Minister Abe from retaining authority. In the words of a professor at the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, “Most marine experts who have studied the effect of the Fukushima disaster on surrounding ocean areas hold the view that radioactive water has been leaking from the plant. It’s common sense."

From: http://enformable.com/2013/07/tepco-has-a-different-view-of-safety-than-the-public/

[FYI]

Paul, WTF is your problem! Why are you "constantly criticizing & despising Tokyo"! "You're not being objective & have no arguments. You're just simply 'against' Tokyo"!

What about if Spain has another massive oil rig spill, like they did back in 2002, polluting thousands of miles of Spanish coastline again! What about their "sailing venue" then?! "Be fair", wil'ya!

[baron-pierreIV]

What about if Spain has another massive oil rig spill,

They don't even need something like that. They just had that freakin' accident on their bullet train.

Let's talk about something that BOTH nations have -- bullet trains and their safety record. In the FIFTY years that Japan has been operating its bullet trains, they've had SEVEN BILLION...count'em SEVEN billion SAFE trips .thru three Olympic Games, a couple of world's fairs, earthquakes and all.

http://www.japan-talk.com/jt/new/shinkansen-bullet-trains-in-Japan

What about Spain? About twenty years old only, thru one Olympic Games, two World Expos and one recent tragic accident with 78 deaths already!!

Just based on this criterion alone, to whom would you give another Olympic Games??

Personas que viven en casas de cristal no deben tirar piedras a otros. ("People who live in glass houses..."

Edited August 6, 2013 by baron-pierreIV

[Roger87]

While is relevant to count the damage caused in Fukushima, Paul pathetic attemps to dismisse the Tokyo bid, just because he loves Madrid bid is seriously biased and terrible. So, Paul use the same criticism for your favorites too.

[Roger87]

While is relevant to count the damage caused in Fukushima, Paul attemps to dismisse the Tokyo bid, just because he loves Madrid bid is seriously biased and terrible. So, Paul use the same criticism for your favorites too.

[FYI]

While is relevant to count the damage caused in Fukushima, Paul pathetic attemps to dismisse the Tokyo bid, just because he loves Madrid bid is seriously biased and terrible. So, Paul use the same criticism for your favorites too.