Scepticism, hope as Tokyo Olympic torch relay kicks off in Japan

Japan’s PM hopes ‘momentum rises in all regions’ as torch relay begins amid strong public opposition to Tokyo Olympics.

Tokyo, Japan – The Olympic torch relay has kicked off in Japan amid continued public opposition, a year after authorities delayed the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games due to the coronavirus pandemic. The relay began on Thursday in northeastern Fukushima prefecture, where a powerful earthquake and tsunami in 2011 killed more than 18,000 people and triggered the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Azusa Iwashimizu, a member of Japan’s 2011 Women’s World Cup winning team, was the first torchbearer.