Olympic

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan [Monday, Aug 22, 2016]

1 Overview

(1)Mr. Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, visited Rio de Janeiro (the Federative Republic of Brazil) to attend the closing ceremony for the Games of the XXXI Olympiad on August 21.

(2)On the morning of August 21, Prime Minister Abe visited Tokyo 2020 JAPAN HOUSE and held an exchange with the Japanese Olympic team. Prime Minister Abe praised the strenuous efforts of each athlete, and conveyed his gratitude for the dreams and hope their single-hearted performances gave Japanese citizens.

(3)Following the exchange with the Japanese Olympic team, Prime Minister Abe received a courtesy call from Mr. Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and held a meeting with him for approximately 20 minutes.

(4)On the afternoon of the same day, Prime Minister Abe attended an exchange meeting with members of Rio de Janeiro's community of Brazilians of Japanese descent and Japanese expatriates (approximately 150 people). Prime Minister Abe expressed his respect for the significant contributions that Brazilians of Japanese descent have made to the development of Brazil and Rio through their efforts and ingenuity over many years, and stated that Japan will advance alongside the community of Japanese descendants in the future also.

(5)On the evening of the same day, Prime Minister Abe attended the closing ceremony for the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. As part of this event, the Prime Minister participated in a promotion for the Tokyo Games, and displayed to the world Japan's determination to make the Tokyo Games a spectacular event. At a reception hosted by Mr. Rodrigo Maia, President of the Chamber of Deputies of Brazil, ahead of the closing ceremony, Prime Minister Abe held informal talks with state leaders and other officials attending the closing ceremony.

2 Evaluation

Japan's presence as the host country for the next Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games was enhanced as a result of Prime Minister Abe's attendance at this closing ceremony. Prime Minister Abe's visit is also expected to contribute to the success of the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Photograph of the Prime Minister interacting with Japanese athletes Photograph of the Prime Minister interacting with Japanese athletes Photograph of the Prime Minister visiting the Tokyo 2020 Japan House Photograph of the Prime Minister receiving the courtesy call from H.E. Mr. Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Photograph of the Prime Minister at the gathering of Japanese-Brazilian societies and Japanese nationals