Mayors Unite To Promote Localities At Olympics

Above, the Hakusan Shrine in Niigata. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Not wanting to be left out of reaping the benefits of the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games, municipalities have banded together to plan to draw visitors to their regions.

According to The Japan News (Yomiuri Shimbun):

The heads of 310 cities, towns and villages across the nation have launched an association aiming to utilize the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games as a chance to vitalize regional areas. 

Isato Kunisada, the mayor of Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture, who proposed founding the association, assumed the role of its president. Initially, about 70 municipalities were expected to join the association, but that had jumped to 310 by the time the association held its first general meeting on Wednesday, as more municipalities were drawn to the idea of jointly promoting local specialties and other tourism resources.

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