The Olympic torch relay set off from Fukushima on Thursday, starting a four-month countdown to the Summer Games in Tokyo.
About 10,000 runners are carrying the torch across Japan`s 47 prefectures, starting from the site of the 2011 quake and tsunami that killed about 20,000 people.
The starting ceremony was held at J-Village in Fukushima, a sports complex converted for several years into a staging ground for workers decommissioning the crippled nuclear power plant.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, which was closed to spectators, Tokyo 2020 president, Seiko Hashimoto said the Olympic flame was kept alive quietly but powerfully for the past year.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga assured reporters the national government was cooperating with Tokyo and the International Olympic Committee to host a secure Games.
He said they would do everything possible terms of coronavirus measures to contain the spread of infections and hope to work towards a safe and secure Games.
The relay, which will culminate with the Olympic opening ceremony on July 23, has been hit by several high-profile runner cancellations as top-level athletes have pulled out, citing late notice and worries over the pandemic.
The majority of the public is against the Olympics being held as scheduled, polls show.
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