Tokyo 2020 Bid News

[phandrosis]

imo it's a little late to really change the idea of complete reconstruction to just simple renovations since it's likely that the companies for demolition have already been contracted. The design could change, but then they would have to deal with IF's along with breaking the promise of a modern stadium unlike any other that they presented at the session.

[Sir Rols]

Facial recognition tech to be tested in Fukushima for 2020 Olympics

TOKYO -- Accenture Japan and the University of Aizu in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture, plan to launch by the end of this year tests of IT services that could be used for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games.

These include the use of face and hand recognition technologies for admission to venues and public transportation, and automatic language translation services.

These tests are estimated to cost more than 30 billion yen ($291 million) in total over five years, with one-third of the money coming from the national government.

For the facial recognition technology, cameras will be installed at multiple locations along a shopping arcade in Aizuwakamatsu.

The test will only involve those who register with the city hall their My Number personal identification code, which will be introduced in 2016. The city hall will obtain consent of these participants before registering their social security and tax identification numbers.

Aizu Bus and local restaurants, meanwhile, plan to develop a system that can settle accounts through facial recognition and hand authentication.

Details of the test will be finalized by representatives of Accenture, which is a major IT services provider, the University of Aizu, Aizu Bus and relevant government agencies at a meeting to be held in Aizuwakamatsu by early August.

Five government bodies, including the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, will provide support, such as subsidies. The project has been designated by the Cabinet Office as a model case for regional development.

Aizuwakamatsu Mayor Shohei Muroi said that municipal governments and private companies outside of Tokyo could still contribute to successful hosting of the Tokyo Olympics.

Nikkei

[StefanMUC]

Ah, facial recognition. Clearly the most burning issue in Fukushima prefecture.

Sarcasm aside, the idea of such a technology scares me a bit to be honest, even if it brings advantages.

[Palette86]

About 500 protesters took part in the demonstration while carrying signs that read “We want a compact and economical Olympics” and “Reverse the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.”

I watched the video and the sign obviously can be read "We want a compact and ecological Olympics." in Japanese,not economical.I guess those protesters are the left-minded people.

No English subtitles but you can just have a look at how the march was;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqUdbvoDkvk

[world atlas]

TOKYO 2020’s “Creating Tomorrow Together” Project Invites Youth to Contribute to the Games

14 Jul. 2014

TOKYO 2020 today presented its new project “Creating Tomorrow Together” to collect ideas from Japan’s younger generation with a view to further refining the existing vision, that was developed during the candidature phase under the tagline Discover Tomorrow. TOKYO 2020 will solicit a wide range of opinions and suggestions regarding the preparations and delivery of a superb Games which aims to promote the Olympic values for new generations.

Athens 2004 Olympic hammer-throw champion and TOKYO 2020 Sports Director Koji Murofushi today acted as a guest teacher of fifth grade pupils at an elementary school in Tokyo to explain the Olympic values and to inspire them to look forward to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo in 2020.

“We want to inspire the new generation with the Olympic Spirit,” said Murofushi. “They are the future of our nation; that’s why we want them to be actively involved in our preparations. It is of crucial importance to make young people realise that this is also their Games and they have a key role to play throughout the entire process of our preparations and during the Games themselves. We are looking forward to receiving everybody’s suggestions to help us ensure the success of the 2020 Games.”

Children across the whole of Japan will have the opportunity to contribute to the “Creating Tomorrow Together” project. They will write an essay during their summer holidays in which they will describe their dreams for 2020 and the future they want to build for Japan by the time of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.

And the quest for ideas is not limited to Japan’s younger generation. TOKYO 2020 is also inviting similar essays and suggestions from a broader section of society and hopes to incorporate many of the ideas received, from both young and old, into its finalised vision for the Games. On 15 July, the organising committee will launch the dedicated website vision.tokyo2020.jp to invite contributions on what kind of Olympic and Paralympic Games the people of Japan would actually like to host.

With their wide-ranging ideas and suggestions, people throughout Japan will make a significant contribution to further strengthening TOKYO 2020’s vision to renew and reinforce the Olympic Values for a new generation in 2020.

Tokyo 2020

[Palette86]

Translation of what they wrote on boards:baseball player,snowboard player,scholar,novelist,cartoonist,illustrator,track and field athlete,politician,teacher etc.A boy at left top wrote "I want to be a gentle person." Another boy next to Murofushi,his dream is "Study hard and help other people."A girl at right wrote "I want to make poor people in the world smile."

[mr.bernham]

Damn thats adorable. These are quickly becoming my favorite games...

[gotosy]

‘1 town, 1 nation’ plan linked to 2020 Games

The government is set to launch a project encouraging local governments nationwide to aid about 200 countries and territories in their preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, with “one town” assigned to support “one nation.”

The program will be modeled on the “one school, one nation” campaign in which each local school supported a foreign country, conducted before and during the 1998 Winter Olympic Games in Nagano.

In autumn, the government will start inviting participation in the planned campaign from local governments wishing to promote exchanges with foreign athletes and visitors in the run-up to the 2020 Games.

A liaison committee overseeing the initiative, which was established Friday, is chaired by Olympics Minister Hakubun Shimomura and staffed by members of the Foreign Ministry, Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry, and others.

The municipalities could receive an additional boost if they continue international exchanges after the Olympics.

Under the project known as Host City-Town, the government plans to assign each municipality to a liation or territory to support after the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, when teams will begin stepping up efforts to select training sites for the Tokyo Games.

The government plans to introduce the nations’ embassies, Olympic committees and other groups to the municipalities, with the idea that embassy staff, athletes, cultural figures and Japan-based expatriates from those countries will visit their host community before 2020.

The municipalities could design educational materials on the nations for use in general studies classes at local schools, or create opportunities to learn about the language and history of the nation they will be supporting.

Demonstrations of the events that the paired nation is strong in, as well as its traditional cuisine or ethnic culture, could be organized for local residents.

Then, when 2020 arrives, supporters could attend competitions to cheer on their assigned nation. Meetings between locals and athletes could even be organized.

The government is planning to provide funds for some of the activities.

After the Games, the government hopes ties will be maintained, such as through visits by children or sister-city connections.

Nagano, Nakatsue maintain bonds

It is hoped that omotenashi, or Japanese-style hospitality, will give a warm welcome to visiting athletes.

International exchanges that began with past Olympics and other events continue to this day in communities across the nation.

Nagano’s one-school, one-nation campaign paired 76 primary and middle schools in the city with athletes from 106 nations and regions.

During the last school year, children from Turkey and other countries visited 11 schools in the city, continuing a valuable legacy of the Nagano Olympics.

The exchanges have apparently encouraged some children to say they want to become athletes or study abroad.

Hiroyasu Koide, who chaired a Nagano international friendship club, said he wants to carry these experiences over to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The former village of Nakatsue—now part of Hita, Oita Prefecture—hosted the Cameroon national team during the 2002 World Cup, which Japan cohosted with South Korea, and has maintained ties that were forged more than a decade ago.

In January, the community formed an Indomitable Lions Association, named after the team’s moniker. Local children made banners to support the team, and former Mayor Yasumu Sakamoto and others traveled to Brazil to support the squad.

The organizing committee for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics is also considering a one-school, one-nation campaign to support areas affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

Ideas include inviting primary, middle and high school students from Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures to attend the opening ceremony of the athletes village.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education is also preparing activities to be held at Tokyo schools.

Yomiuri

http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001429029

[gotosy]

Tokyo 2020 celebrates six years to go with social media push

©TOKYO 2020

24/07/2014

The Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee has marked six years to go until the Opening Ceremony of the 2020 Olympic Games by launching a unique social media campaign.

The one-day #InsideTokyo2020 initiative aims to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at preparations for the Games by introducing them to the people who will help bring Tokyo 2020 to life over the next six years.

Photos of Organising Committee staff members will be posted on the official Games Facebook page (facebook.com/tokyo2020.jp) and the newly launched English-language Twitter account (twitter.com/tokyo2020) throughout the day, revealing the faces behind the Games.

Sakura, Sports Management. © TOKYO 2020

"This is a very special day for Japan. On this day in 2020, the Olympic Games will open in Tokyo for the second time in the city’s history. This is the first exciting and symbolic milestone in our journey toward the 2020 Games,” explains Masa Takaya, Tokyo 2020 Communications Director.

"On this occasion, we are launching our English Twitter account, @tokyo2020, to engage the conversation with fans and supporters from the entire world. And our first action is to send an invitation and share our excitement about the Tokyo Games."

Members of staff featured in the campaign include Olympic hammer throw champion Koji Murofushi, who was recently appointed as as Tokyo 2020’s Sports Director.

Mami Sato, Paralympian. © TOKYO 2020

IOC

[Palette86]

Tokyo governor takes on big tobacco to push smoke-free games

Aug 22,2014

The last time it hosted the Olympics, in 1964, Tokyo earned $1 million from an official Olympics-branded cigarette.

Half a century later, Gov. Yoichi Masuzoe is looking to restrict smoking before the 2020 Summer Games.

“I want to do this,” Masuzoe said on a Fuji TV show this week when asked about the possibility of introducing stricter curbs. “If I get cooperation from the Tokyo Assembly, we can pass an ordinance.”

According to Japan Tobacco Inc., the proportion of smokers in Japan fell to about 20 percent in 2014, down from 47 percent in 1965, the year after Tokyo first hosted the games. Yet even as secondhand smoke kills nearly 7,000 people in the country every year, there’s no penalty for breaking current Tokyo guidelines on preventing passive smoking.

The International Olympic Committee adopted a smoke-free policy before the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, Alberta, adding pressure on cities to curtail tobacco use. In the U.K., the last country to host the Summer Games, smoking in bars and restaurants has been banned since 2007. Russia, host of last February’s Winter Games, introduced fines for smoking in locations such as eateries. The U.S. restricts smoking on a state-by-state basis, with New York having barred people from lighting up in public places since 2003.

Any effort to curb smoking may face resistance from Japan Tobacco Inc. The corporate behemoth was a state monopoly until 1985, yet the Finance Ministry remains the largest shareholder. Revenues from tobacco taxes are forecast by the ministry to amount to ¥922 billion in the fiscal year ending March 2015, compared with total tax revenue of ¥50 trillion.

Yoichi Takahashi, a former Finance Ministry official who is now a professor at Kaetsu University in Tokyo, blames the close ties between the tobacco industry and the government for the slow pace of Japan’s smoking clampdown.

“Keeping the shares in Japan Tobacco allows bureaucrats to secure postretirement positions for themselves,” he said, referring to the ingrained Japanese practice known as “amakudari,” which means “descent from heaven.”

Yasutake Tango, who served as the top bureaucrat at the ministry, was appointed chairman of JT in June this year. The company said in an email it was unable to comment on why the government still owns the nominally privatized company’s shares.

“

While JTI supports regulation of smoking in many public places, we do not believe that laws prohibiting smoking in all workplaces and places open to the public are the solution,” JT’s international arm said in a statement on its website that is unrelated to the Tokyo smoking debate.

In Tokyo, the smoking curbs that are enforced in parts of city are mainly applied outdoors to prevent brush-by burns and littering, forcing people drinking outside bars such as Stand T near Tokyo Station to go inside to light up. In contrast, prohibition in establishments in many parts of Europe and North America produces the common sight of smokers congregating on sidewalks.

Masuzoe’s comments follow the lead of foreign-branded food industry giants.

McDonald’s Corp.’s Japan business banned smoking from this month in every one of its 3,135 outlets nationwide. Starbucks Coffee Japan Ltd. has maintained a smoking ban — as it does in the U.S. — in all its shops since opening its first in central Tokyo’s Ginza district in 1996.

Manabu Sakuta, a Tokyo-based neurologist who has headed the Japan Society for Tobacco Control for almost a decade, said 2020 will spark broader changes in smoking regulations.

“This is an international duty,” Sakuta said in a phone interview. “It can’t be avoided.”

His group is among those, including the Japan Medical Association, seeking to meet with Masuzoe and separately with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to press their case for enforcing a ban on smoking in restaurants and similar public spaces before the Olympics. About 6,800 Japanese a year are estimated to die from the effects of passive smoking, the National Cancer Center said in 2010.

Tokyo guidelines banned smoking “in principle” in public facilities in 2011 without specifying penalties and allowing exemptions in cases where smokers can be kept separated from nonsmokers. A survey by the city government last year of 4,000 establishments found 21.3 percent banned smoking, 21.1 percent had separate smoking areas and 36.7 percent of respondents said they did not want legal regulation of smoking.

Japan does not have the graphic antismoking commercials or packaging rules that are common in other advanced nations.

Any move to ban smoking in cafes, bars or restaurants will likely face resistance from smokers and many owners of such establishments.

“I love smoking,” Masao Aso, a 49-year-old worker in the auto industry, said during a cigarette break in a smoking area of a central Tokyo office building. “I want them to put aside some space for us, however small it may be. I don’t want to cause trouble for anyone else.”

Lawmaker Shigefumi Matsuzawa, who clamped down on smoking while serving as governor of Kanagawa Prefecture, is set to establish a cross-party lawmakers’ group in November to submit legislation on passive smoking before the Olympics.

“It has been proven that not only smoking but passive smoking is a cause of death, illness and harm, but Japan has been slow to tackle this,”

Matsuzawa’s group acknowledged in a founding declaration issued in June. “In order to make the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics a success, Japan needs a law preventing passive smoking.”

News source:The Japan Times

Link to this article;http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/08/22/business/tokyo-governor-takes-on-big-tobacco-to-push-smoke-free-games/#.U_ecBGNQTiU

[phandrosis]

“I love smoking,” Masao Aso, a 49-year-old worker in the auto industry, said during a cigarette break in a smoking area of a central Tokyo office building. “I want them to put aside some space for us, however small it may be. I don’t want to cause trouble for anyone else.”

it's nice that they're thinking of others.

[phandrosis]

Resculpting the face of Tokyo ahead of 2020 Games

http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001459018

[gotosy]

A year after winning Olympics, Tokyo faces hurdles in move from bid to build

(Reuters) - Tokyo's 2020 Summer Olympics were meant to be different: compact, on budget and on time.

But now, as the Japanese capital moves to leap from bid to building a year after winning the games, the optimism is ebbing.

The National Stadium, built when Japan hosted the Olympics in 1964, symbolises the woes. Set to be demolished two months ago for a sleek new venue, it stands empty, its seats ripped out, waiting for a deal to bring the wrecking ball.

The city won the Games over Madrid and Istanbul by emphasising Japan's organisational strengths and $4.5 billion in the bank. The rejoicing over the victorious bid on Sept. 7 last year - Sept. 8 in Japan - coincided with a surge of optimism over Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's economic revival plans.

Abe put his personal prestige on the line with a vow to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to put on the best Games ever.

But now, even as "Abenomics" appears to be sputtering, the Olympics face ballooning costs, angry environmentalists and a fading vision of a cosy, downtown event.

"With the rivals we had, and evidence of problems for the games in Sochi and Rio, there was a sense in the IOC that they wanted the Olympics held by a place that had its act together," said Hitoshi Sakai, chief executive of the Institute for Social Engineering think tank.

Instead, even demolition of the National Stadium - which half a century ago was filled with the roars of a triumphant crowd at the kindling of the Olympic flame for the 1964 Summer Games – has gone through two rounds of failed bidding.

COMPACT GAMES, SOARING COSTS

Central to Tokyo's promises was that nearly all the competition venues would be within 8 km (5 miles) of the Olympic Village.

But construction and labour costs have soared due to rebuilding after a March 11, 2011, tsunami, and a rise in consumption tax from 5 to 8 percent this April was not factored in to budgets, a Tokyo government official said.

Planners allotted $1.5 billion for venues in the bid but that estimate more than doubled late last year after re-calculations.

Budget worries may mean plans for a new basketball arena are dropped and the competition might be shunted 25 km (15 miles) outside Tokyo to an existing venue, although "sustainability" is being cited as the reason.

The yacht races may have to move some 27 km (17 miles) to the east, because the original venue is within the approach zone to Haneda Airport and helicopters need to fly above the races to film them.

Any such changes require approval of international sporting federations, which may be less than pleased.

"We have always been impressed by the proposals for sailing ... in particular the compact nature of the venue and the close proximity to the other sports venues and Olympic village," Jerome Pels, chief executive of the International Sailing Federation, said in an email.

Sakai said organisers had to stick to their pledges.

"No matter how much it ends up costing, it's a public, international promise to hold a compact Olympics. Japan has to keep its promises," said Sakai.

Organisers said there is nothing to worry about.

"Tokyo will complete its preparations to deliver a well-organised Games with plenty of time to spare," Hidetoshi Fujisawa, Tokyo 2020 executive director of communications and engagement, said in an email to Reuters.

"During the bid, the team ... prepared the best plan they could. Now, the Tokyo 2020 organising committee is reviewing this plan with an emphasis on the operational details."

Tokyo Governor Yoichi Masuzoe told a news conference that it was not a question of distance but travel time. He also noted that Tokyo Disneyland was not in Tokyo but still bore the city's name, so out-of-town venues would be fine.

"Costs could increase by 30, 40, even 50 times. Can you persuade the voters to pay this kind of money?" he asked.

Rising costs don't always mean a disastrous Games.

Costs for London's 2012 Olympics surged to more than 9.3 billion pounds ($14.6 billion), more than three times the initial estimate, but the Games were deemed a success.

GOING GREEN, FOR THE BIRDS?

In Tokyo, sustainability is also a buzzword for corporations such as Panasonic, eager to showcase new technology in 2020, much of it eco-friendly.

But environmentalists fear the Games will damage rare green areas in one of the world's most crowded cities.

At highest risk is a seaside park proposed as the site of the canoe and kayak slalom. It features pine forests and a bird sanctuary where up to 50,000 migratory birds - some of them endangered - gather each year.

"They're talking about making this a real 'hospitality' Olympics," said Nobuya Iida, head of the Tokyo Wild Bird Society, referring to another mantra of the Tokyo bid.

"But how does destroying nature equal hospitality?"

The 300-metre long course would require cutting down most of the trees and having 13,000 tonnes of water rocketing through each second, at speeds of 2 metres a second. Rules require fresh water, which would be trucked from far inland and then released into the sea - possibly damaging the wetlands ecosystem.

Six years of protests, petitions, and letters to the IOC may be having an impact. Masuzoe has mentioned changing the site to one nearby, and it was also discussed when IOC Vice President John Coates visited Tokyo in June.

"We're at a real turning point," Iida said.

"But the city still hasn't concretely proposed a change. So we're waiting."

Reuters

[Palette86]

1964 Olympic cauldron removed, to be exhibited at tsunami-hit city

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The cauldron of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics was removed from the National Stadium in Tokyo on Friday, the 50th anniversary of the opening of the games, to be sent for exhibition to a northeastern Japan city that was devastated by the March 2011 tsunami.

The 2.1-meter tall, 2.6-ton heavy cauldron that symbolized Japan's recovery from World War II will be loaned to the city of Ishinomaki for display at a coastal park to be built there. It has not yet been decided when the cauldron will be moved to the city.

It will eventually return to the National Stadium, which will be demolished by the end of the year and renovated in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics as the main venue.

"It will be nice if (the cauldron) gives encouragement to disaster victims," an Ishinomaki city official said.

October 10, 2014(Mainichi Japan)

Link to this article:http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20141010p2g00m0dm047000c.html

[gotosy]

Prefectures, cities vie to host foreign training camps for 2020 Olympics

JIJI

• Nov 3, 2014

About 70 percent of the 47 prefectures are planning to invite foreign athletes to set up local training camps ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, a survey says.

Prefectures and big cities have set up dedicated bodies to collect information on the subject, the results of the survey, conducted by Jiji Press, suggested.

Questionnaires were sent to all 47 prefectures as well as the 20 major cities in October. All responded.

Thirty-three prefectures and 10 cities said they have plans to invite foreign athletes to set up training camps for the Tokyo Olympics. All of the others said they are considering such plans.

A total of 38 prefectures and 10 cities have set up dedicated organizations such as task forces and consultative forums, with local municipalities, the survey showed.

Some prefectures and cities have already started promotional activities related to the games.

Tochigi Prefecture has sent English-language booklets about the attractions in the prefecture to all foreign embassies in the country. Gov. Tomikazu Fukuda has also visited the British Embassy in Tokyo, hoping to take advantage of the prefecture’s connection to the embassy, which had a villa in Tochigi.

Kobe officials have visited Latvia, which is home to one of its sister cities, to invite its athletes to establish a training camp there.

Hokkaido has sent embassies cards with information gathered from municipalities about facilities available for Olympic training camps, nearby inns and hotels, and transport access.

In October, the prefecture and city of Fukuoka agreed to host Sweden’s athletes for pre-Olympic training in 2020 — the first such deal ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.

“The Swedish side seems to have concluded that Fukuoka, which accepted such a camp before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, is most suitable,” a city official said.

The survey also showed that many prefectures and big cities have stepped up their efforts to invite tourists and promote sports in preparation for the Olympics.

Their efforts include erecting signs in multiple languages and training volunteers to help tourists.

Kyoto plans to make its website for foreign tourists available in 13 languages by adding Arabic, Russian and others.

Gifu Prefecture has held a seminar to provide people working at local hotels and inns with information on the dietary restrictions of Muslims so they can accommodate such guests.

Among the three prefectures most affected by the 2011 disasters, Iwate has said it is eager to show the progress it has made with reconstruction by hosting Olympic training camps.

Miyagi Prefecture, where Olympic soccer games will be held, is calling for more support from the central government, saying it “places top priority on reconstruction-related projects and cannot set aside enough personnel and money for the Olympics.”

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/11/03/national/prefectures-cities-vie-host-foreign-training-camps-2020-olympics/#.VFdK88lBcsM

[Palette86]

TV technology for the 2020 Olympics

10 November 2014 Last updated at 09:29 GMT

Japanese broadcaster NHK is planning to go super hi-tech for its coverage of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

The games will be offered in Super 8K - 16 times sharper than high definition televisions and microphones that can zoom in on sound anywhere in the stadium.

BBC Click's Dan Simmons went to see the technology in action.

News source:BBC News

Link to this article http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-29789468

[woohooitsme83]

None of my devices can handle 4k, let alone super 8k O.o

Can our eyes even tell the difference between 1080p and 4k/8k???

Japan is still cool tho!

So much innovation, but will they all be ready in time? I can't possibly imagine a small cost in exchange for all of this tech.

[phandrosis]

Found this interesting news piece

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/features/update/movie201411131121.html

This guy had an exhibition of kimonos representing the 196 nations (excluding sovereign states like Hong Kong and whatever I'm assuming), attempting to revitalize the profile of the kimono before the games.

Do you think these country specific kimonos might be what the delegation sign holders or whatever they are called might wear? It would be a pretty neat idea if you ask me.

[LatinXTC]

Japanese Olympians fired up to bring home the Games in 2020

Does anyone know who the guy is on the left of the logo, as well as the one on the top left corner of the pic as well???

[StefanMUC]

Does anyone know who the guy is on the left of the logo, as well as the one on the top left corner of the pic as well???

The one left of the logo is hammer thrower Koji Murofushi, Athens gold medalist.

[gotosy]

Does anyone know who the guy is on the left of the logo, as well as the one on the top left corner of the pic as well???

Top left corner:

Hiroaki Hiraoka, judo

[phandrosis]

http://tokyo2020.jp/jp/news/index.php?mode=page&id=1193

There's going to be a celebration for 2020 days to go until Tokyo 2020 on January 12th. It seems like a lot of prominent athletes will be present, and that they will be interviewed during the celebration in front of the Tokyo Metropolitan Building in Shinjuku. There's also going to be some sort of event called "Everybody Start" which sounds kind of cheesy but I have no idea what it is. It coincides with the Coming-of-age day in Japan that celebrates those turning 20 as they enter adulthood, and are invited to the event. Either way it's free so anyone can go.

[yoshi]

Logo launch maybe?

[phandrosis]

Logo launch maybe?

I'm crossing my fingers, but I read on this site a while ago that it would be released on this date (http://logos.wikia.com/wiki/Tokyo_2020)

The new logo will be launched on February 21, 2015 at 12PM Saturday afternoon in Tokyo, Japan.

There is no source or anything so it could be total bs, but it's plausible given that the date is around the time TOCOG has to submit the games plan or whatever to the IOC, which includes the official logo.

[phandrosis]

I'm gonna try to post new articles in a more appealing format than a link and my summary

Tokyo Olympics organizer: 2015 a key year

The head of the organizing committee for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics says this will be an important year for the committee.

Former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori addressed about 200 staff members of the committee on Monday, the 1st working day of the New Year.

Mori said the committee will soon mark the 1st anniversary of its launch.

He said the members will have to explain the committee's plan for the 2020 Games at the International Olympic Committee's general assembly in Kuala Lumpur in July.

Mori said the staff must maintain their spirits and work hard bearing in mind that the 2020 Games will set the foundation for future Olympics.

The number of the committee's staff has risen about 4-fold to 218 since it was set up last January.

Following the IOC's recent decision to allow host cities to propose additional events for the Games, the Tokyo organizing committee is expected to focus on narrowing the number of candidate events for the 2020 Olympics.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20150105_18.html

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Village to be hydrogen-powered

TOKYO —

The athletes village for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo will be a futuristic “hydrogen town” where electricity and hot water are generated from the abundant element, a local newspaper reported Monday.

Planners at the Tokyo metropolitan government want to use the opportunity of hosting the summer sporting festival as a boost to so-called “clean” energy, the Yomiuri Shimbun said.

The city aims to build hydrogen stations and pipelines that will send the gas to accommodation units, athletic facilities and restaurants, the mass-circulation daily said.

Fuel cells installed at facilities would then use the hydrogen, in combination with oxygen from the air, to produce power and to heat water.

Buses ferrying athletes around would also be fuelled by hydrogen, and refilled from special stations.

The report comes after Toyota Motor last month rolled out the world’s first mass-market fuel-cell car in Japan.

Hydrogen power is classed as clean energy because it produces only water as a by-product at the point of use.

The athletes’ village will be located in Tokyo’s Harumi waterfront area and will be temporary home to around 17,000 people during the Games.

Once the Games are over, it will be converted into a town with a population about 10,000, the Yomiuri said.

The contract for planning the village will be awarded to a private company by the end of March, the paper reported, with the use of hydrogen a condition for application.

Despite its abundancy, hydrogen does not occur naturally as a gas and needs to be extracted from compounds. The Yomiuri noted that production of a large quantity of hydrogen was challenging.

“Realisation of a hydrogen-based society is an important goal for resource-poor Japan and would lead to curbing of greenhouse gases,” Takeo Kikkawa, commerce and management professor at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo, told the paper.

“There are not a small number of technical tasks but the Tokyo Olympics is a big chance to realise it. As the athletes village is built from scratch, it would be an ideal large-scale experiment,” he said.

The Tokyo government said it was not immediately able to confirm the report but noted the city’s long-term policy goals included “promotion of smart energy”.

“The athletes village aims to realise a model city for smart energy,” the city said in a report titled ‘Long-Term Vision for Tokyo’ released last month.

The village should “show domestically and internationally what a city with sustainable growth would be like through such measures as use of hydrogen energy,” it said.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/sports/view/tokyo-2020-olympic-village-to-be-hydrogen-powered