Jan 6, 2021
The 2021 Tokyo-Hakone Round-Trip College Ekiden Race concluded as a last-mile thriller between the eventual winner Komazawa University and runner-up Soka University.
But the latest edition of the biggest New Year sporting tradition in Japan delivered many other intriguing topics.
One of the most talked-about stories was the number of fans seen along the roadsides of the 217.1-km route amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to organizers, this year’s race saw a total of 180,000 spectators on the sidewalks during the two-day event, an 85% decrease from the 1,210,000 who came out for the 2020 race. The 2014 edition’s crowd of 1,260,000 was the largest of the last decade.
FOCUS: Suga faces make-or-break election year as COVID rages, Olympics loom
This year will be critical for Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga s hopes of remaining in power as he mulls the timing of a general election while steering Japan s response to the coronavirus and pushing ahead with plans to hold the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the summer. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga talks to the press after meeting with ministers at his office in Tokyo on Dec. 31, 2020. Tokyo reported over 1,300 new infection cases, a record high, the same day. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
With his support ratings in decline amid dissatisfaction with his government s pandemic response and a series of money scandals within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party making headlines, he cannot afford any missteps.
Jan 3, 2021
Komazawa University showcased a historic comeback win as junior runner Takuma Ishikawa overtook then-leader Soka University with only two kilometers left in the 10th and final leg to capture its first Hakone ekiden championship since 2008 on Sunday.
It was the seventh-ever gold medal for the Tokyo-based team in Japan’s annual New Year sporting tradition, for which universities in the Kanto region are eligible to compete. Komazawa’s winning time was 10 hours, 56 minutes and four seconds.
“I’m extremely happy,” Komazawa head coach Hiroaki Oyagi said after the tournament. “We’ve struggled to win in this event and I was only hoping our team would give a good performance on the second day.”
Jan 3, 2021
The political status quo was upended worldwide in 2020, and Japan was no exception, with Shinzo Abe resigning as prime minister to bring his nearly eight-year tenure to an end, passing the baton to his loyal confidant Yoshihide Suga.
But don’t expect 2021 to be a quieter year in the political epicenter of Nagatacho. If anything, more drama is likely on the way.
The next Liberal Democratic Party leadership contest is slated for September and, as Suga is serving the remaining period of Abe’s third term, he needs to again win the party’s confidence to establish himself as a long-term leader. Adding more potential drama to the mix, terms for Lower House members will expire the following month.