Olympic Flame to Visit 3 Disaster-Hit Prefectures before 2020 Torch Relay

Tokyo, April 10 (Jiji Press)--The Olympic flame will be displayed in the three Tohoku northeastern Japan prefectures hit hardest by the March 2011 disaster before the torch relay for the 2020 Tokyo Games, officials said Tuesday. The decision was made at a meeting of senior officials in charge of preparations for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. After arriving in Japan from Greece, the Olympic flame will be brought to Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures as a symbol of reconstruction from the disaster before the torch relay to visit all of Japan's 47 prefectures starts. The torch relay is expected to start in late March or early April of 2020. The relay is scheduled for 15 days in Tokyo and three days each in the three Tohoku prefectures as well as Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa and Shizuoka prefectures, where multiple Olympic events will be held. The relay will spend two days each in the remaining 39 prefectures. "The display of the Olympic flame will bring great encouragement to disaster areas and offer us a precious opportunity to show our gratitude for support and achievement in reconstruction efforts," Miyagi Governor Yoshihiro Murai said in a statement. END