Emperor's Olympic Opening Speech Likely to Omit 'Congratulations'... Reflecting Public Sentiment Worsened by COVID-19

▲Emperor Naruhito [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The opening declaration phrase of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which opens on the 23rd, is expected to omit the Japanese expression for 'celebration.' This decision reflects awareness of the opposition within Japan to holding the Olympics amid the spread of COVID-19.

According to major Japanese media such as the Tokyo Shimbun on the 21st, the event organizers are reportedly considering not using the phrase 'celebration' in the Emperor's opening declaration.

The Olympic Charter, which stipulates the conditions for hosting, mandates that the opening declaration be made by the head of state of the host country.

After Japan's defeat in the Pacific War, the newly enacted Japanese Constitution transformed the Emperor's status, which had been deified, into a symbol of national unity.

In the three previous Olympics hosted by Japan?the 1964 Tokyo Summer Games, the 1972 Sapporo Winter Games, and the 1998 Nagano Winter Games?the then-Emperor, as a symbol of national unity and head of state, declared the opening.

Emperor Hirohito (1901?1989), the grandfather of the current Emperor Naruhito, announced the opening of the 1964 and 1972 Games, and his son and former Emperor Akihito declared the 1998 Games.

For this Tokyo Games, Emperor Naruhito, the honorary president of the event, is scheduled to attend the opening ceremony and declare the opening.

In this context, the word 'celebrating' included in the English version of the opening declaration has become a concern for the Japanese government.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) specifies detailed example texts for the opening declaration to prevent politically charged expressions and requires prior approval for each event.

In 1964, Emperor Hirohito translated 'celebrating' from the example text into the Japanese word 'iwai' (meaning 'celebration') and said, "I celebrate the 18th modern Olympiad and hereby declare the opening of the Olympic Tokyo Games."

Under normal circumstances, Emperor Naruhito would have simply read the existing opening declaration text with the number changed to the 32nd Games.

However, amid the fierce domestic debate over whether holding the Olympics during the life-threatening COVID-19 pandemic is something to celebrate, concerns have been raised that it is inappropriate for the Emperor, as a symbol of national unity, to use the expression 'celebration' that not all citizens agree with.

Yasuhiko Nishimura, Minister of the Imperial Household Agency, which is responsible for the royal family, also conveyed at a regular press conference on the 24th of last month that Emperor Naruhito is concerned about whether holding the Olympics might lead to further spread of COVID-19, signaling that the Emperor does not necessarily welcome the Tokyo Olympics.

The Tokyo Shimbun reported that against this backdrop, the Japanese government and the organizing committee are considering replacing 'iwai' with another word.

While in the past the English 'celebrating' was expressed as 'iwai' in Japanese during the Emperor's Olympic opening declarations, this time they are looking for an alternative Japanese expression that does not deviate from the original English meaning.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.