Tokyo Olympics schedule unveiled

Apr 17 (NHK) - The 2020 Tokyo Olympics organizing committee has announced a detailed schedule for the 17-day event.

The committee on Tuesday released the schedules for 32 sports.

The opening ceremony will take place at the new national stadium on July 24, and the closing ceremony at the same venue on August 9, both from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The first sporting event will be a women's softball game in Fukushima Prefecture starting at 9 a.m. on July 22, two days before the opening ceremony. Japan is expected to take part.

Many events, including men's and women's judo, will start on July 25.

The finals in 26 events will be held on Sunday, August 2. In track and field, the men's 100-meter final will be held at the national stadium in the evening.

On August 8, the day before the closing ceremony, finals will be held for 30 events, including baseball, men's soccer and men's basketball. That is the largest number of finals on any day of the Olympic period.

To avoid the expected severe summer heat in Tokyo, the organizing committee moved up the original starting time for the women's marathon on August 2 and the men's marathon on August 9. Both will start at 6 a.m. The men's 50-kilometer walk will start at 5:30 a.m. on August 8.

No decision has yet been made on the schedule for boxing, since the function of the international body governing boxing has been suspended.

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper Thieves Target Japanese Shrines

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

1200-Year-Old Temple on Miyajima Reduced to Ashes

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

From Bento Boxes to Garbage Bags, Rising Costs Hitting Daily Life Across Japan

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

Tochigi Robbery-Murder Suspect’s Wife Posted Dance Videos on Social Media

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Garbage Burnoff Spreads to 3 Buildings in Okayama

A fire that broke out in Kagamino, Okayama Prefecture, shortly after noon on May 20th destroyed three buildings, including a home, after flames from open burning spread to dead leaves and then to nearby structures.

Gang Members Arrested After Opening Office Near Nursery

Six people, including a senior member of a group affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai crime syndicate's Kohei-ikka faction, have been arrested on suspicion of opening a gang office in a prohibited area near a nursery school in Tokyo's Itabashi Ward.

Six Police Officers Injured After Man Sprays Liquid at Station

A man who visited a police station in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in the early hours of May 21st allegedly sprayed a transparent liquid inside the building, causing six police officers to complain of eye and throat pain and be taken to hospital with minor injuries.