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Fukushima laments a recovery without Olympic witnesses

29 Comments
By JAKE SEINER

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“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.

15 ( +15 / -0 )

Fukushima has recovered mostly in spite of the games that were never intended to support it,

10 ( +14 / -4 )

The Olympic events themselves were hoped to be a celebration for those who survived the catastrophe, too. Without access to the venues, there hasn't been much rejoicing.“In playing our match today in Fukushima, I am really hoping our victory will give motivational methods to the people here," he said.

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.

Japan’s Reconstruction Agency has estimated the cost of rebuilding the region will approach 32 trillion yen ($290 billion), and Olympic organizers scheduled some events in the Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures hoping to lure tourists there to observe the rebirth.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Fukushima laments.” - Stop there.

- “Olympic organizers [promised] events in Fukushima & Miyagi hoping to observe the rebirth [??]

6 local children exchanging & running the Olympic Torch 5 meters in the Opening Ceremony?

“Surely it would have been a great healing experience for the residents of the affected areas,” Harada said.

*“I would like to think," Harada said, “that the *time for people to see the recovery and reconstruction has just been delayed…

a little.” ??

1 ( +2 / -1 )

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

-21 ( +2 / -23 )

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..,

19 ( +20 / -1 )

The video is entirely in English. The riders are almost entirely Japanese.

Why in English?

Oh well the Olympics never matter anyhow.

7 ( +9 / -2 )

Again, congratulate to Aaron Wolf for his performance in the mixed team.

He lost, but lost to a giant.

-9 ( +1 / -10 )

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).

10 ( +11 / -1 )

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.

11 ( +12 / -1 )

Fukushima has recovered mostly in spite of the games that were never intended to support it,

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?

14 ( +15 / -1 )

HBJ, that is an awrsom post. So true.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Bach thinks he is a king or something, he is the CEO of a corporation, without which he would be nothing.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

gogogo

He has more power than the J-govt, due to his american connection.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

The pandemic is like the fourth disaster to hit Fukushima and Tohoku. The final cost of the nuclear disaster will be more than ¥80 trillion.

Just a little bit more than the cost of the Olympics then?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

What recovery?

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Mr. Bach kindly went to Fukushima to lift heart and spirit of Japanese. He did not need to make this risk ...

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?

5 ( +6 / -1 )

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!"

8 ( +9 / -1 )

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

3 ( +3 / -0 )

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…

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Pukey2Today  11:01 am JST

The pandemic is like the fourth disaster to hit Fukushima and Tohoku. The final cost of the nuclear disaster will be more than ¥80 trillion.

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.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

@Paul G

fully agree, move on, celebrate

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

HBJToday 09:12 am JST

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

You must know that Abe was not in power during the Fukushima accident, neither the LDP

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Imagine eating food from Chernobyl only 10 years from that calamity...

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

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

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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