THE OLYMPIC FLAME ARRIVES IN JAPAN TO START THE 121-DAY OLYMPIC TORCH RELAY JOURNEY BRINGING A MESSAGE OF PEACE AND HOPE TO THE WORLD

When the aircraft doors finally opened, triple judo Gold medallist NOMURA Tadahiro and triple wrestling Gold medallist YOSHIDA Saori held the lantern high in the air before it was handed to President of Tokyo 2020 MORI Yoshiro, who was joined by Japanese Olympic Committee President YAMASHITA Yasuhiro.
A symphony orchestra played a live rendition of the “Tokyo Olympic March” – which symbolically is the same music used at the opening ceremony of Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games.
The Olympic flame will now be on display at various locations in the Tohoku region, to highlight the message of hope in the areas worst affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. The special display of the “Flame of Recovery” will start in Ishinomaki City in Miyagi. The Matsushima Air Base, which is located the west of Ishinomaki, was heavily damaged during the earthquake. Its reconstruction over these years has been viewed as a symbol of Tohoku recovery.
Start on 26 March, under the theme of “Hope Lights Our Way”, the Olympic Torch Relay will take the flame around to all of Japan’s 47 prefectures, bringing the Olympics and its values to the entire country.