In the lead-up to the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Olympics, JCIE partnered with the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL) for a virtual town hall discussion on the years of preparation that have gone into planning the games and on steps Japan is taking to manage this global sporting event amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The event brought together a panel of Japanese legislators and members of the media, many of whom were alumni of the US-Japan Young Political Leaders Exchange Program, and provided a unique opportunity to hear from legislators about their own perspectives on the the Olympics and what it means to Japan to be able to host them 10 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake.
A video recording of the discussion is available below:
Panelists
KAYAKO GEJI, Staff Writer, Science and Medical Department, Asahi Shimbun
KOICHIRO KOBAYASHI, Member, Okayama Prefectural Assembly (2011 ACYPL Exchange Alum)
KOHEI OJIMA, Member, Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly (2015 ACYPL Alum)
AKIO OKAWARA, President and Chief Executive Officer, JCIE/Japan
OJ OLEKA, President, Association of Independant Kentucky Colleges and Universities (2019 ACYPL Exchange Alum)
TOSHIKO TAKEYA, Member, House of Councillors
