2 Years to Go: Companies Preparing for Rush of Tokyo Games Spectators

August 2, 2018

Tokyo- Companies in Tokyo are stepping up preparations to cope with an expected rush of people visiting the Japanese capital to watch the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.

The number of spectators is projected at 7.8 million for the Olympics and 2.3 million for the Paralympics, raising concerns about Tokyo's ability to handle such a crowd.

Businesses are particularly concerned about further rush-hour problems, an adverse impact on corporate activities and disruptions to distribution.

Allowing employees to start earlier or later than usual or to work from home or remotely have been proposed as potential solutions to overcrowding during peak commuting hours.

The Tokyo metropolitan government launched its one-month "Jisa Biz" campaign on July 9 to encourage flexibility in work start times as a way to combat overcrowding on commuting trains. The Japanese word jisa means time difference in English.

The number of companies participating in the campaign more than doubled to 792 as of July 13 from about 320 in summer last year, signaling growing interest in such a measure.

There are hopes that the 2020 Games will help the spread of teleworking, or working remotely.

The Japanese government last year designated July 24, the date on which the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will take place, as Telework Day.

More than 1,200 companies and groups took part in this year's Telework Day campaign in which participants were asked to allow employees to telework at least one day between July 23 and Friday.

Some are concerned that the rush of Olympic and Paralympic spectators may also affect road transportation, whose disruptions deal a serious blow to goods delivery from convenience stores and manufacturers' supply chains.

But no solutions are in sight because any effort to address the issue requires cooperation from a wide range of stakeholders, including owners of goods, retailers and consumers.

Tokyo Vice Governor Junko Inokuma told leaders of the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry in a meeting last month to consider changes to delivery routes as well as joint delivery and procurement.

Inokuma, also citing an impact from online shopping, said that the metropolitan government plans to "ask individuals to review their consumption behavior."

Companies' preparations for the 2020 Games also involve recruiting volunteers, as about 80,000 people are said to be necessary.

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. saw a larger-than-expected number of employees apply to work as volunteers, a company official said. Toyota Motor Corp.  is also recruiting volunteers from within the company. Jiji Press