Japan is currently undergoing extensive preparations for the 2020 Olympics and making significant changes to certain aspects of the Tokyo metropolitan area in order to transform it into a “global standard city.” Some of these changes include: increasing the prevalence of cashless payment (as Japan still relies heavily on cash, and many shops accept cash exclusively), reducing or eliminating accommodations for those who smoke in an effort to achieve the International Olympic Committee’s smoking ban, and developing more artificially intelligent advertisements that can assist visitors in many different languages. Many Japanese citizens who do not even plan to be an official volunteer for the Olympics are taking it upon themselves to improve their English skills in order to assist tourists in the future. Some people have argued that Japan should not have to cater to foreign visitors in such a way that has lasting impacts on their future life, especially in regards to the increased smoking prohibitions, but the Japanese government appears to be unphased by such sentiments (Medium).
Japan’s ability to accommodate the huge number of visitors that will be coming to the country in 2020 is of significant concern for a variety of reasons, but perhaps most importantly for the safety of those present at the Olympics. Having an infrastructure that can adequately support millions of people during that time frame is crucial to a successful Olympics. One thing that I have noticed during my time in Japan is that there are very poor accommodations for the disabled populations in regards to navigating public transportation, especially in highly urban areas like Tokyo. In a recent survey, a majority of Japanese citizens that use guide dogs to get around during their daily life said that Japan was not ready to substantially support an influx of similarly disabled visitors, and must make vast improvements to the current system. According to the survey, there is still “persistent discrimination in Japan against visually impaired people accompanied by guide dogs despite a law banning discrimination having taken effect in 2016” and many people that use guide dogs are frequently denied access to restaurants and other facilities (The Japan Times). And although there may not be many tourists that travel to Japan who use guide dogs, no matter the size of that demographic accessibility in Japan must be significantly upheaved and expanded, especially for disabled Japanese citizens.
Supplementary Articles: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/04/17/national/half-guide-dog-users-say-tokyos-preparations-2020-games-not-yet-adequate-survey-shows/, https://medium.com/@shotarohondamoore/five-things-japan-is-doing-in-preparation-for-the-2020-tokyo-olympic-games-bab2cead1e56
If the Japanese government were to fail at Olympic preparations, not only may there be dangerous consequences for Japanese citizens and visitors, but it may also tarnish Japan’s reputation among global powers. Hopefully in these remaining months leading up to the Olympics, we will see significant progress in Tokyo’s transformation into a global standard city.
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