The Olympic flame arrived in Japan Friday to a muted reception, with what should have been a joyous celebration dramatically downscaled due to the coronavirus pandemic that has cast doubt over whether the Tokyo Games can even go ahead.
The flame landed on a special charter flight into Matsushima Air Base in the Japanese province of Miyagi, chosen as part of the “Recovery Olympics” to showcase the region’s revival after the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown.
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