Tokyo Gov. Wants Disaster Preparations, Transportation, Language In Focus For 2020

To help ensure that "foreign visitors can enjoy the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics without concern," Tokyo Gov. Yoichi Masuzoe said that he will "focus on making the city safer from disasters, improve access to public transportation and even encourage residents to brush up on their English conversation skills," according to Masaaki Kameda of the JAPAN TIMES. Masuzoe said, "Above all, we have to make solid preparations for disasters to avoid casualties,” including retrofitting facilities to make them more quake-resistant. Masuzoe: “I’d like to eliminate possible problems for visitors from abroad coming to Tokyo (for the Olympics) in six years, one by one.” For starters, Masuzoe said that transportation guides at Narita Airport "should be improved." He added that he would "like to review the schedules of public transportation systems" linking central Tokyo and nearby Haneda Airport "to make sure they align with late-night flight arrival times" (JAPAN TIMES, 2/20).