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© Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Fukushima laments a recovery without Olympic witnesses
By JAKE SEINER FUKUSHIMA©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
29 Comments
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Cricky
“I would like to think," Harada said, “that the time for people to see the recovery and reconstruction has just been delayed a little.”
it’s been over 10 years? Delayed a little? Like how that’s tacked on to the end of the story. 10 + years it’s not been delayed a little it’s been muddled from day one. But it is a cute sentiment to hold on to.
virusrex
Fukushima has recovered mostly in spite of the games that were never intended to support it,
sakurasuki
Motivational? Those Fukushima people already endure this for decades, they have strong motivation no need just another motivational things. They need actual things like tourism which won't go there during pandemic. Alternatively they can use budget but of course no budget were left for them.
snowymountainhell
“Fukushima laments.” - Stop there.
6 local children exchanging & running the Olympic Torch 5 meters in the Opening Ceremony?
…a little.” ??
Paul G
Mr. Bach kindly went to Fukushima to lift heart and spirit of Japanese. He did not need to make this risk but he did for young man which won’t be forgot. Now Japan baseball is 2 wins no loss and will bring glory of gold to Japan and Fukushima
Jim
And the king Bach returns to media spotline again in an immaculate navy blue suit in scorching heat to score another major PR & photo opportunity which he and IOC will use to continue selling thier vile games for years to come in future..,
Iron Lad
The video is entirely in English. The riders are almost entirely Japanese.
Why in English?
Oh well the Olympics never matter anyhow.
Iron Lad
Again, congratulate to Aaron Wolf for his performance in the mixed team.
He lost, but lost to a giant.
smithinjapan
I've never understood why so many people in Japan judge personal or local values on what other people think of them (only if positive, too).
Cricky
Paul G are you serious? Mr Bach KINDLY went to Fuckashima? Is it that bad that you have to thank someone for visiting.? Not really sure how that lifted anyone's spirits but if it did yours than its a trip not waisted.
HBJ
Correct.
Fukushima served its purpose by being the emotional narrative during the bidding process.
Abe stood there and lied to the world saying that everything was under control and the reactors had categorically not melted down, when the reactors were literally melting down. This right here tells you that the highest levels of government didn't give two figs about Fukushima. Knowing the reactors were melting down and the situation was grave, all of the focus for the foreseeable future should have been on the lives and livelihoods of all those affected.
Not here and with Abe and his cronies. Instead of ditching the olympic bid and promising to spend all of the olympic budget on helping its own people recover from the devastation of a natural disaster, they actually leveraged the situation to win a vanity project that would require billions to be invested into Tokyo.
I'm sure there are a lot of people in government privately pleased that COVID has meant the olympics are going on with huge restrictions to movement. Can you imagine if hundreds of foreign investigative journalists headed up to Fukushima and started speaking to the local people?
Cricky
HBJ, that is an awrsom post. So true.
gogogo
Bach thinks he is a king or something, he is the CEO of a corporation, without which he would be nothing.
Iron Lad
gogogo
He has more power than the J-govt, due to his american connection.
Pukey2
Just a little bit more than the cost of the Olympics then?
Pacific Saury
What recovery?
as_the_crow_flies
That's interesting. So you're saying it isn't safe to be in Fukushima, even for a few hours? In that case, what the hell were they thinking, organising events there, that would mean at the very least, thousands of people putting themselves in harm's way, just to set everything up for the Olympics? Come to think of it, that means it must be dangerous to live there, right?
Some dude
Teacher: "And then, children, the people of Fukushima realised that the government did not care about them at all, and that they were only being used for a sympathy vote".
Children: "What happened then?"
Teacher: "The people of Fukushima voted to elect the exact same people who had done this to them".
Children: "Why?"
Teacher: "Ah...this is Japan!"
sf2k
dunno LDP abandoned Fukushima at every opportunity, renaming the reason for the Olympics with every new disaster or name of the month. The central gov and other prefectures for that matter should have cared a long time ago
kurisupisu
And the radioactive contamination is still ongoing created by millions and millions of gallons of water that has seeped AND is still flowing over the nuclear debris and into the sea
There won’t be a proper recovery there for thousands of years, if ever…
Richard Gallagher
Pukey2Today 11:01 am JST
Just a little bit more than the cost of the Olympics then?
Cost of rebuilding the Fukushima area: 290 billion USD. That exceeds the cost of the Olympics by 260 billion dollars. The total cost of the Olympics, according to economic scholars & researchers, expert in calculating the cost of an Olympics: 30 billion USD.
Will Goode
@Paul G
fully agree, move on, celebrate
didou
You must know that Abe was not in power during the Fukushima accident, neither the LDP
ableko45
Imagine eating food from Chernobyl only 10 years from that calamity...
Sven Asai
What are you complaining? Probably you’ve neither been near to Chernobyl nor Fukushima. You’d really better care about your personal yearly X-rays or long distance flights and that your ingested opioids don’t exceed their number. lol