Tokyo an inspirational choice for 2020 Games, Abe tells IOC

Hope the IOC got to see what riding the train during rush hour is like...

According to a poll by the Yomiuri Shimbun daily released at the weekend, 83% of respondents said they supported the bid, up from 72% in January 2012. Those against the bid fell to 12% from 22%.

Read this is my DYomiuri yesterday.......I knowing subscibe to that rag to keep up on the propaganda but the above is clearly BS of the highest order.

When will the media of Japan quit lieing to the people of Japan!!!!

At stake are an estimated 3 trillion yen ($32 billion) in potential economic impact

and what be Japan's debt by 2020? GDP/Debt Ratio? Kuroda ? No, everything in red.

Tokyo just has to fall over the line to win. The only opposition is from a virtual bankrupt state and a country with very real terrorist issues. It's a shame in the current economic climate there are no decent candidates.

I'd much rather see the entire games held up in Sendai.

At stake are an estimated 3 trillion yen ($32 billion) in potential economic impact

How many countries and cities have been lied to in the past about how the Olympics will revitalise their economy? Most face crippling debt for decades that the taxpayer has to recover.

I cant blame the Japanese for being so eager to host an olympic event. LASt one:

Wang (2002) indicated that the annual growth rate of Japanese GDP after holding the Olympic Games dramatically increased from 10.1% to 26.1%.

You can read up more here: nccuir.lib.nccu.edu.tw/bitstream/140.119/37406/8/803008.pdf

"Abe made sure that an inspection tour by an International Olympic Committee (IOC) team got off to a heavyweight start."

I am so sick of people using the earthquake of 2011 as a reason why Japan 'deserves' the 2020 Olympics. Did he bother to include, in his heavyweight inspection tour, the 0.5% housing the government goal has achieved to date in rebuilding? Did he include that money earmarked for restructuring has gone to contact lens factories in central Japan and highways in Okinawa and elsewhere?

Until the 2011 disasters we had Ishihara saying Japan should get the Olympics because of the atomic bombings (before he officially hijacked Hiroshima's bid), now he and others, and Abe, are saying it would somehow inspire people who are still homeless 7 years down the road. Tokyo is only an 'inspiration choice' to the uninspired and the unimaginative.

According to a poll by the Yomiuri Shimbun daily released at the weekend, 83% of respondents said they supported the bid, up from 72% in January 2012. Those against the bid fell to 12% from 22%.

I would like to see the demographics and numbers for the poll here.

For all we know they asked 100 of Abe's cronies in the LDP, or asked a question like, "You'd really love to see the Olympics in Tokyo wouldn't you!" More like a statement rather than a question.

When will the media of Japan quit lieing to the people of Japan!!!!

i don't think its totally their fault, govt got its hands in there

transparency of govt = non-existent

Hope Tokyo gets the nod. It would be a great way to show the rest of the world how well that country has recovered from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

@Ayler

How many countries and cities have been lied to in the past about how the Olympics will revitalise their economy? Most face crippling debt for decades that the taxpayer has to recover.

Agreed. The Olympics don't have a great history as commercial ventures.

Not a great source, but still... http://www.cracked.com/article_19733_5-things-they-dont-want-you-to-know-about-olympics.html

Clearly, Tokyo is actually the best candidate on offer. It's a terribly expensive way for a handful of politicians to feel good about themselves though.

Hope Tokyo gets the nod. It would be a great way to show the rest of the world how well that country has recovered from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Visiting Tokyo for the Olympics is not the same as visiting the the still devastated areas in Tohoku and not to mention Fukushima.

The "country" may be on the way to recovery, but Tohoku is STILL a long ways off.

Here's a thought, to expound on RomeoRll's idea, how about letting Tokyo win the bid but the caveat that ALL proceeds MUST go to Tohoku AND Tohoku businesses get FIRST crack at 100% of ALL the contracts that would be awarded for building the sites AND concessions as well!

All Tokyo would get is the prestige of being able to say they hosted the Olympics. If they can't agree to the terms then by all means give the games to Instabul!

with Japan keen to showcase its recovery from a devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Huh, what "recovery"? Tokyo was never greatly impacted by the quake, so there is no recovery to showcase, and the recovery in Tohoku is mired in politics and inefficiency. March11th will be the two-year anniversary, and THOUSANDS ae still in temporary shelters. Is ABE talking about the recovery funds that went to promote Skytree? This is just pure BS/spin and I hope the IOC sees through it. Japan's true Olympic colors show more in the physical abuse suffered by the women's judo team.

If Tokyo win, it is only because the other candidates are not as strong, Madrid is broke, Istanbul better chance but no experience. Tokyo have experience in 1964, so that is a plus.

Chances are Tokyo will win and I will be the first to congratulate Japan! However if there is a major earthquake before Sept near Tokyo, the IOC might just choose another country to host the game!

Just imagine, an extra god-knows-how-many people to join us on the train system in peak hour!

BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tokyo, withdraw your bid. Let Turkey or Spain, which have never hosted an Olympics, have a chance. That is the moral, decent thing to do.

Istanbul and Madrid are clearly better choices, as they too have required infrastructure, but are much cheaper, easier to visit, and easier to obtain VISA for those tourists, who require it. Also, tourists in Madrid and Istanbul are not usually stopped by the police for random questionings about purpose of their visits and passport checks. Rules of common behavior are also less strict in Istanbul and Madrid, and dependent on the time of the year, the weather is better.

I am so sick of people using the earthquake of 2011 as a reason why Japan 'deserves' the 2020 Olympics. Did he bother to include, in his heavyweight inspection tour, the 0.5% housing the government goal has achieved to date in rebuilding? Did he include that money earmarked for restructuring has gone to contact lens factories in central Japan and highways in Okinawa and elsewhere?

Agreed. Using the 3/11 as a rallying cry is not a good reason although I imagine this has any significance on the IOC judgement.

Also, as repeated several times already, the funding and the money is coming from Tokyo and not the central government. Right now, it's collecting interest.

@mukashiyokattaMar. 05, 2013 - 02:39AM JST

Tokyo, withdraw your bid. Let Turkey or Spain, which have never hosted an Olympics, have a chance. That is the moral, decent thing to do.

Actually come to think of it, Istanbul should be given a chance. This will be the first Muslim country to host an Olympic event and Turkey is a vibrant economy and should be able to do a very good job hosting the Game.

The jewel in Tokyo’s campaign is a space-age makeover of the National Stadium, the main venue for the 1964 Games. The 80,000-capacity venue, which resembles a flying saucer.

Done. It has to be Tokyo. The stadium resembles a flying saucer!! This reason alone outweighs any other bid!

On a serious note, I totally agree with other posters in that Japan has FAR from recovered from the earthquake and tsunami and nuclear disaster. More like a cover up than a recovery... Tokyo doesn't deserve to host the Olympics imho.

If Tokyo win, it is only because the other candidates are not as strong, Madrid is broke, Istanbul better chance but no experience. Tokyo have experience in 1964, so that is a plus.

I would look at it as a minus seeing as how they already had them once the IOC should be considering new locations and giving them a opportunity to show case their cities and countries as well.

Tokyo's bidding again is just an old man's pride being hurt for losing out the first time.

A wonderful idea i hope it goes thru. Would love to see the games in Tokyo.

CrisGerSanMar. 05, 2013 - 06:12AM JST

A wonderful idea i hope it goes thru. Would love to see the games in Tokyo.

These are my reasons of no Tokyo Olympic Games. .

1) Tokyo has no risk management human resources available just in case of next possible earthquake. I was there for the 3/11, it was very pathetic and chaotic.

. What would you do when the next bad earthquake hits during the Olympic Games? You cannot even take care of your own people. .

2) Who will pay for this? Your tax money!! Only groups benefit from the Tokyo OOlympic Games are merchants and hospitality business .It does not benefit anything for the people of Tokyo. The same money should be spent for the Tohoku Restrations, not Tokyo Olympic Games.

I believe the priority is all messed up. Please take care of your own people first who are still homeless in Tohoku and Japan is basically financially broke. . Therefore, my answer is "NO" for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The Olympic Games in Tokyo would only be an "inspiration" to Abe's cronies/masters in the construction industry. Nagatacho has done nothing and cares little for the people of Tohoku.

Tokyo would be an inspirational choice to host the 2020 Olympic Games, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told Olympic officials on Monday, with Japan keen to showcase its recovery from a devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Did he get a load of violins playing behind him when he said this?

I can't believe no-one is calling him out about continuing to use 3.11 as bait for pity-when-required

If they really wanted to "showcase its recovery from a devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami", they should have it somewhere that was actually affected by the disaster. Except for some liqufaction, Tokyo wasn't affected by it at all. Bulidings swayed, the trains stopped.

That's about it really.

Hardly and "inspiration".

The Olympics suck. The are corrupt, do not represent peace, have stunts and tricks and games.. ping pong and events like flag dancing and sync swimming that are not sports.. Name one Athlete from the last summer games.. quick. This is the ego of a few ... and an excuse to move the Tsukiji fishmarket and make some people richer. The World Cup is 10x better sporting event ... go after that... but it will not be back to Japan in your lifetime. London still has no tenant for its Olympic Stadium venue what does that tell you.

nigelboy: "Also, as repeated several times already, the funding and the money is coming from Tokyo and not the central government. Right now, it's collecting interest"

That's all fine and dandy but if the people like Abe were serious about putting the people of the disaster first, inspiring them, and showing how Japan has recovered from the disaster, THAT money would be going to Tohoku as well instead of a bid to win money for contractors.

mukashiiyokatta: Spain had the Olympics in Barcelona in 1992, if I'm not mistaken.

i still don't understand why the games are being held in Tokyo? (semi-rhetorical question)

it would benefit Japan so much more to stage the Olympics in an area of the country foreigners DON'T know about. somewhere in Tohoku such as Sendai would be a much better choice. the region as a whole would benefit from regeneration and the dispelling of negative associations and the international communities perception of Japan would be broadended beyond Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto.

furthermore, a Tohoku summer is marginally more bearable than that of Tokyo!

That's all fine and dandy but if the people like Abe were serious about putting the people of the disaster first, inspiring them, and showing how Japan has recovered from the disaster, THAT money would be going to Tohoku as well instead of a bid to win money for contractors.

Diverting money from Tokyo to the central government? No can do.