“‘Recovery Olympics’ moniker for 2020 Games rubs 3/11 evacuees the wrong way”, 10 March 2019

...The central government hopes the quadrennial sports event will serve as a platform to show that the nation has recovered from the disasters.

But recovery wasn’t one of the original themes for the Tokyo Games. The concept was added when it became apparent Tokyo wouldn’t be able to secure all the venues needed in the capital or its vicinity. When organizers thus turned to the disaster-hit prefectures of Miyagi and Fukushima, which will host the softball and baseball games, the recovery spin was born, with officials saying the event would contribute to reconstruction.

Moreover, the reconstruction plan for the Tohoku region is expected to end when fiscal 2020 closes in March 2021, putting an end to various central government subsidies that helped both victims and municipalities.

…But residents in the area view the preparations as something happening in the background. In fact, some believe they are actually hindering the region’s recovery.

Setsuo Takahashi, a resident of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, whose house was swept away by tsunami eight years ago, is among the skeptics.

“Cheering the victims through sports is a good idea,” he said. “But the Olympics have nothing to do with the people who live here. It’s a different world, unreachable for us.”

What most concerns Takahashi…is that preparations are taking priority over reconstruction, slowing the process.

Masahiko Fujimoto, a professor at Tohoku University’s Graduate School of Economics and Management, said the affected areas may be losing workers to businesses in Tokyo, including for construction projects related to the games.

“The Olympics are, in part, negatively affecting the local economy. The event won’t have any impact on the coastal towns,” he said.

Indeed, the coast of Ishinomaki, dotted with trucks and cranes, remains largely under construction to restore damaged areas.

“Eight years on, this is still where we are,” Akinari Abe, a member of Tohoku University’s Volunteer Support Center, said…as he looked out over the city from Hiyoriyama Park.

“We don’t want anybody to tell lies that Tohoku has recovered,” said Abe… “People need to realize that the reality isn’t so rosy.”

Many people here worry that after the Olympics, the Tohoku region, with all its struggles, will be forgotten”…