Monuments of recovery from 2011 disaster unveiled

An underlying theme of the Games is recovery from the disaster, which triggered a nuclear accident in Fukushima.

The northeastern prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima created the monuments to express gratitude for support for their recovery efforts. They are also intended to convey the power of sport in the disaster-hit areas.

The structures are more than two meters tall and were designed by students at the Tokyo University of the Arts.

Housing units where survivors of the disaster temporarily made their homes provided some of the materials used to construct the monuments.

They have been festooned with messages of gratitude and encouragement for athletes by junior and senior high school students in the prefectures.

At an unveiling ceremony in Tokyo on Tuesday, Takahashi Ayaka, who won a gold medal in the women's badminton doubles in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, delivered a speech. She said the disaster should never be forgotten. She expressed a hope that the Games would bring a ray of hope to people still suffering from the after-effects of the disaster and everyone grappling with the coronavirus pandemic. She spent her school days in Miyagi.

The monuments are to be placed near Tokyo's National Stadium during the Games.

One will be transferred to each of the three prefectures in December after athletes participating in the Games are given a chance to add their own messages.