sports

Fukushima makes pitch for 2020 Olympic baseball and local food

26 Comments

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© 2015 AFP

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

26 Comments
Login to comment

This doesn't seem to be a very "compact Olympics" to me.

There's been another report about another runoff of radioactive water into the ocean.

When is the world, and more specifically world class athletes, supposed to start believing the local food is safe over there?

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Completely tone deaf with head clearly buried in the sand.

I always felt bringing Prince William to the area to eat food was a ploy by the government to say, "See! It's safe! If the British royals can come here, why can't the olympics?"

It's all a con.

3 ( +8 / -5 )

Joeintokyo. Exactly! harvey pekar. Exactly! Sorry, I am not much for original comments today.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Joeintokyo. I completely agree!!

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Look, I’m sure it’s all clean and happy and wonderful up there but I’d rather give your fruit & veg a miss for a while if that’s okay

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Once gain the dumbest logic on the planet! "you may be afraid of the dangers, but try it to prove yourself wrong!" this is obviously just another self-pity party in a push to sell local goods where the conomy is down. Forget about the potential threat! Eat it or you'll hurt their feelings! And so uch forthe compact Olympics promised!

2 ( +7 / -5 )

My local "Seki" store sells (kome) rice from fukushima. The store has not even sold 1 bag! Abunai!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

When is the world, and more specifically world class athletes, supposed to start believing the local food is safe over there?

Food from Fukushima is tested regularly. You can find the results online. Even in 2011 there was very little contamination found in food, in 2014 virtually none.

Here's a nice, balanced look at contamination in Fukushima put together by FCCJ.

http://www.fccj.or.jp/number-1-shimbun/item/561-four-years-after-an-illustrated-guide.html

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

I was actually hoping for the triathlon and ocean swimming to be held up that way. Then again, the French competitors from Moruroa Atoll or the athletes from Bikini in the Marshall Islands would probably have an unfair advantage.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

What is wrong with these people?!?! Keep everyone away from that area. plain & simple. It is not safe!!! & will not be for many many years to come. They want to risk the health & welfare of foreigners to show the Japanese that the area is safe when it is not!! WAKE UP JAPAN!!!!

1 ( +4 / -3 )

It's the Tokyo Olympics, right? Not the Japan Olympics. I can imagine more than one baseballer saying, "Are you out of your friggin mind!?" I think a lot of country's teams will demand their own food is brought from their homeland to ensure nothing from Fukushima is snuck in.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Good luck with that, if there is even a 0.01% chance of an elite athlete developing an issue from this food countries will just bring their own.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

@ Pandabelle

I do not think the Foreign Correspondents Club Of Japan would write a balanced column on Fukushima and its safety. They either tote the Abe line or they never write for a Japanese rag again. Sorry, but that column you linked to is anything but balanced unless you want to believe the government blather about it which amounts to: We say unicorns are real therefore unicorns are real.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

I say give it to them. Abe says it's safe, well then give it to them, then let's see who actually believes all the rubbish about that area being safe and goes there and eats the food.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Playing the victim card again....for corporate sports.

Was up in Yamagata and Fukushima at the weekend, local agricultural and veterinary officials concerned about residual contamination on hillsides getting into the food chain and environment via small animals. Forests and mountainsides have not been decontaminated at all...

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Last time I checked, Fukushima was nowhere near Tokyo and how many baseball stadiums are there already in Tokyo?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Pandabelle - would you serve Fuku food to your kids?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

The Japanese media are living in a bubble, which was to be expected. Just mentioning the word "Fukushima" abroad will see people running for the hills. Yes, it's a tragedy beyond words for the people of Fukushima & greater Japan - but that's the reality. No amount of Johnny's Jimusho "oishii!" propaganda will make people change their minds. Thanks TEPCO!

1 ( +4 / -3 )

I hope they get the event venue, but don't push the food too much!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I'll pass on the baseball, softball AND food, but as for Prince William, I think he is just like his mother and probably wanted to go. I'm sure his Japan handlers were happy but the British not so much.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Seems like they are already playing softball as they toss these crazy ideas around.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Sorry, but IMO, the Olympics is not the proper place to force people to be guinea pigs for this PR campaign. These are the world's best athletes, who have trained for years to perfect their skills, and this is their chance to shine. For Fukushima to want to use it for PR purposes is just selfish. Also, due to doping rules and other reasons, these athletes are on strict diets and watch over every single bit of food and drink they consume. To suggest they should risk their ability to perform at their peak level is foolish. If Fukushima has an image problem about safety, it is because the government and TEPCO have let it down with the near constant problems/leaks/etc. from the reactors. Start by solving that, and then worry about getting the Olympics involved. At this point, since the IOC has to approve any changes to venues, I would hope they would reject this request.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

I sympathize with Fukushima but the govt etc has done a terrible job wrt many aspects about radiation in regards to contamination, food, etc etc.

As JBoy correctly points out the Olympics is the LAST time & place to be pushing for a FOOD EXPO, especially at a place that has radioactive contamination, sorry that's just NUTS. Factor in athletes diet & being used to THEIR local foods etc its just a dumb idea.

All this stems from Tokyo being total jerks by playing the Fukushima/Tohoku card to help win the olympics, for shame!

Tokyo owes a HUGE apology to Fukushima, but like WWII all we will likely hear is the sucking of air through the teeth of old Tokyo oyaji's!

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Nobody should be living in Fukushima to began with nor should they be holding any Olympic events there.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Jalapeno

Pandabelle - would you serve Fuku food to your kids?

Yes, absolutely. It's tested regularly and is shown scientifically to be safe. Heck, that food is tested far better than anything else in the supermarket!

kyushubill

I do not think the Foreign Correspondents Club Of Japan would write a balanced column on Fukushima and its safety.

What a cynical view. Did you even look at the primary sources cited in that overview? Did you look through the FCCJ's website at some of the reporting on Fukushima? It's balanced - some with favorable views of the progress of the reconstruction, others not.

I don't think it's very helpful (nor accurate) to say something like "Oh they must to the Abe line!" I could cite hundreds of articles critical of events in Fukushima, the reconstruction, food safety, etc. All from Japanese sources. This sort of criticism that there is no allowable reporting other than that which makes the government look good is only possible if you allow yourself to remain willfully ignorant but not reading anything from Japan on the topic.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites