FUKUSHIMA/TOKYO: When Shusaku Sagi was 19, he watched his soccer training centre at J-Village in Fukushima morph into a base for workers decommissioning the nuclear power plant nearby after the 2011 earthquake crippled it and caused thousands to flee.
On Thursday, the sports complex will house the starting ceremony for the Olympic torch relay, kicking off a countdown to the Games in Tokyo - the first ever organised during a deadly pandemic.
"Big sports events like the Olympics can energize people and send a message to the world to not forget Fukushima," said Sagi, now 29, who organises youth soccer tournaments at J-Village.
Members of the Japanese national women's soccer team will use the Olympic flame, flown in from Greece, to light the torch. But the ceremony - originally planned for thousands of fans as a celebration of Japan's recovery - will be closed to the public.
The first section of the relay will not have spectators, and as some 10,000 runners take the torch across Japan's 47 prefectures, including far-flung islands, onlookers must wear masks and socially distance.
The four-month event has been hit by several high-profile runner cancellations as celebrities have pulled out, citing late notice and worries about drawing crowds during the pandemic.
Hiromi Kawamura, who oversees the relay, said organisers have had "some crazy days" juggling fast-changing information, a shifting pandemic situation and negotiations with national and local governments.
"We're asking people not to stand shoulder-to-shoulder. If it gets really crowded... if we feel the situation is dangerous, we'll suspend the relay. Then we'll start it again after we've made the area safe," Kawamura said.
Japan has fared better than most countries, with fewer than 9,000 coronavirus deaths. But a third wave of infections has pushed the numbers to record highs, triggering a state of emergency in Tokyo and other areas that was lifted this week.
The majority of the public are against the Olympics being held as scheduled, polls show.
'LEFT OUT'
After the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, the government enforced a 20-kilometre (12.4 miles) no-go zone around the plant and turned the J-Village into a staging centre for thousands of nuclear cleanup workers to don protective gear.
"Seeing my childhood playground turn into a base for decommissioning work - even though it played an important function - made me sad because I thought it would never be able to come back to what it used to be," said J-Village's Sagi.
The Fukushima native trained there from age 8 until he graduated from high school.
Over time, the nuclear workers left. The rebuilding of J-Village began in 2014; two years later, Sagi, who now organises youth soccer tournaments at the complex, was tasked with measuring radiation levels.
The start of the relay at the venue is meant to highlight the "Reconstruction Olympics" theme - lauding Japan's nearly $300 billion effort to revive the region.
But some residents do not share Sagi's enthusiasm and chafe at the government's efforts to showcase Fukushima.
Vast areas around the plant remain off-limits, worries about radiation linger and many who left have settled elsewhere. Decommissioning will take up to a century and cost billions of dollars.
Takayuki Yanai, who works at a fisheries cooperative in Iwaki, 50km south of the plant, said the concept of "Reconstruction Olympics" was not widely shared by the locals.
"Coastal fishing catch off Fukushima is still about 20% of what it used to be," Yanai said. "I'm afraid we are sort of left out of the reconstruction."
'OUR RESPONSIBILITY'
Still, members of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee remained confident that the event would be a success despite news on Wednesday that another torch bearer was dropping out.
Homare Sawa, who led Japan's women's football team to victory at the FIFA World Cup four months after the 2011 earthquake, withdrew from the torch relay, citing health reasons.
Figure skater and Olympic medallist Shoma Uno, as well as two high-profile actresses, also pulled out on Wednesday.
But Tokyo 2020 said that organisers were well prepared to host the relay.
"I'm certain we can hold an Olympics that will be safe and secure for both the participants and the public," Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto said at a news conference on Wednesday.
Norio Sasaki, who coached the women's football team that won in 2011, shared Muto's sentiment.
"If anything, it is our responsibility as the host nation to showcase the power of sport now," he said at the news conference.
Reuters
Wed Mar 24 2021
High school students play soccer game in front of a soccer training facility where torch relay of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is set to begin at the J-Village training center in Naraha, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, March 23, 2021. REUTERSpic
Bekas pengawal peribadi Wan Azizah cedera kemalangan
Bekas anggota polis wanita yang kini bekerja sebagai pengawal peribadi cedera setelah motosikal ditunggangnya melanggar sebuah SUV di lebuh raya PLUS.
Rang Undang-undang Kebebasan Maklumat dijangka dibentang akhir tahun ini - Kulasegaran
RUU Kebebasan Maklumat dijangka dibentangkan di Parlimen pada akhir tahun ini selepas cadangan ketetapan bagi penggubalan Akta Kebebasan Maklumat dibawa ke Jemaah Menteri untuk kelulusan.
Azizi dilantik Ketua Polis Perak baharu
Timbalan Ketua Polis Perak Datuk Azizi Mat Aris dilantik sebagai Ketua Polis Perak yang baharu hari ini.
ADUN Rembia sertai Pas, tak 'lompat parti' - Takiyuddin
Menurut Takiyuddin, keahlian Muhamad Jailani yang juga wakil rakyat UMNO diterima pada 10 Jun tahun lalu, namun diumumkan secara rasmi hari ini.
Kita perlu belajar hidup dengan COVID-19 - Pakar
Itu kata Pakar Perubatan Kesihatan Awam, Bahagian Kawalan Penyakit, Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia (KKM), Dr Aznida Mohamad Zaki yang berkata pihaknya akan berusaha semampu mungkin dalam menggalakkan praktis kendiri dikalangan orang awam bagi mencegah penularan wabak seperti mana yang pernah dilakukan sebelum ini.
LHDN lulus 141,406 permohonan PKPS 2.0
Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri (LHDN) telah meluluskan sebanyak 141,406 permohonan program khas pengakuan sukarela (PKPS) 2.0 yang melibatkan 102,572 bilangan kes pembayar cukai individu, 27,707 bilangan kes syarikat dan selebihnya melibatkan lain kategori seperti pertubuhan.
Pelan Transformasi Air sasar tingkatkan air bersih, liputan sistem kumbahan - Fadillah
Pelan Transformasi Air sasar tingkatkan air bersih, tingkatkan liputan sistem kumbahan - Fadillah
Warga Thailand mengaku tidak bersalah seleweng diesel
Seorang warga Thailand mengaku tidak bersalah di Mahkamah Sesyen Alor Setar atas pertuduhan menyeleweng 322 liter minyak diesel.
Lilitan reben putih tak langgar peraturan - Timbalan Speaker
Ramli berkata, perkara itu juga adalah merupakan keputusannya dan bukan dibuat oleh Yang Dipertua Dewan Rakyat, Tan Sri Johari Abdul.
Kos pampasan tanah fasa 1B proses projek LPB Sabah RM1.2 bilion - Alexander
Anggaran kos pengambilan balik tanah bagi keseluruhan Fasa 1B proses pengambilan tanah dan penilaian pampasan tanah bagi Projek Lebuh Raya Pan Borneo Sabah (LPB Sabah) berjumlah RM1.2 bilion.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Jepun mula fasa keempat lepas air terawat dari loji nuklear Fukushima
Tiga pusingan pelepasan air terawat sebelum ini dari NPP Fukushima telah dijalankan pada Ogos, Oktober dan November 2023.
Tiada peningkatan tahap radio aktif di perairan Malaysia
Sistem Pemantauan Air Spektrum Gamma (GSWMS) yang dipasang di perairan negara dalam tempoh 1 Okt hingga 30 Nov lepas mendapati tiada peningkatan aras keradioaktifan di perairan Malaysia.
Pakar IAEA akan periksa loji kuasa nuklear Fukushima pada 24-27 Okt
IAEA akan melawat Jepun untuk memeriksa loji kuasa nuklear (NPP) Fukushima buat kali pertama sejak pelepasan air terawat bermula.
Aktivis Korea Selatan sifatkan pelepasan air Fukushima 'keganasan nuklear'
Sekumpulan aktivis Korea Selatan pada Khamis mengutuk pembuangan air sisa tercemar nuklear daripada loji kuasa nuklear Fukushima Daiichi yang musnah ke Lautan Pasifik oleh Jepun, lapor Xinhua.
Jepun mulakan fasa kedua pelepasan air tercemar Fukushima
Fasa kedua pelepasan bermula kira-kira 10.30 pagi dan dijadualkan berterusan hingga 23 Okt.
Jepun selesai pusingan pertama pelepasan air radioaktif loji Fukushima
Pengendali loji kuasa nuklear Fukushima Daiichi Jepun yang musnah pada Isnin berkata pusingan pertama pelepasan air terawat ke laut telah selesai.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Jumlah tritium dalam laut selepas pelepasan air Fukushima di bawah had: Korea Selatan
Kepekatan tritium dalam air laut susulan pelepasan air tercemar dari loji janakuasa nuklear Fukushima Jepun yang musnah adalah jauh di bawah had standard.
Keputusan Jepun teruskan pelepasan sisa air Fukushima 'mengecewakan' - Pakar
Jepun dilapor telah merawat tercemar nuklear yang dirawat ke tahap di mana pegawai mengatakan ia tidak lagi berbahaya, dan memutuskan untuk mula mengalirkannya ke Lautan Pasifik.