Foreign Press Center Japan Press Briefing: Tokyo, One Year to the Olympic and Paralympic Games July 18, 2019

On July 18, Governor Koike gave a press briefing with just one year to go until the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, to members of the international media at the Foreign Press Center Japan (FPCJ). She talked about the initiatives the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) is taking to prepare for the Tokyo 2020 Games and how the Games will be a springboard for the creation of a New Tokyo.

This included:

• The status of preparations for the new permanent facilities being built by TMG
• Holding test events to ensure the smooth running of the Games (verification of the effectiveness and efficiency of various heat countermeasures for use in the Games, etc.)
• The Medal Project, in which the Olympic and Paralympic medals would be made from the “urban mine” of used mobile phones and small electronics donated by people in Japan and abroad (the collection period concluded successfully in March)
• Presenting the Games as the “Recovery” Olympics and Paralympics to express gratitude for the support Japan received from the world and to show the country’s progress on reconstruction after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 (Torch Relay will start from Fukushima Prefecture and baseball, softball and football matches will be held in Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures)
• Utilizing the Games as an opportunity for Tokyo to present itself as a leading model for a sustainable society (eliminating CO2 emissions during the four days of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games, etc.)
• Showcasing Japan’s world-leading technology such as autonomous driving
• The Paralympics as the key to success of the Games (introducing “Team Beyond” and the “No Limits Challenge” projects to promote Parasports)
• The legacy of the 2020 Games (creating a more livable city for everyone / eliminating passive smoking / establishing new working style / promoting artistic culture/establishing volunteer culture, etc.)

To conclude, Ms. Koike expressed her wish to pass on Tokyo’s legacy, that of an increasingly sustainable society, to Paris and Los Angeles as they prepare for their own Olympic and Paralympic Games. She also announced TMG’s plan to set up the Tokyo Media Center to aid not only the media’s coverage of the Games but also to provide information on Tokyo and others.