The May 12 earthquake in Sichuan province will bind the Chinese people closer together rather than jeopardize the success of the Beijing Olympic Games, an official from the bid committee for the Tokyo 2016 Olympic Games said.
"Through the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games, all the Chinese people are very cheerful and very confident of the success of the Olympics. So the success of the Games is very important for them," said Yasuhiro Nakamori, deputy director general of the committee.
On May 12, a catastrophic earthquake rocked central China, claiming more than 40,000 and leaving hundreds of thousands more injured and homeless. Officials from the Beijing Olympic organizing committee said this week that the earthquake would not affect the smooth operation of the Games in August.
Having experienced a similar disaster in Kobe in 1995, the Japanese expressed their condolences and said they were impressed with the unity of the Chinese people.
"Tokyo 2016 would like to extend our full sympathy for the terrible tragedy. We sincerely hope you recover fully at the earliest possible time," said Nakamori.
"In Kobe more than 10 years ago, everyone supported the (victims) there. The Chinese will do the same."
Tokyo is competing against Chicago, Rio de Janeiro, Madrid, Prague, Doha and Azerbaijan's Baku for the right to host the 2016 Games.
Nakamori is now visiting Beijing to attend the 2008 Congress of International Sports Press Association and learn from the world's top sports media.
"On this occasion, we would like to learn so many things from (different media) all over the world. All the participants are specialists as most have experienced the Olympic Games already," he said. "We will take notes regarding promotional activities, how to plan effectively, and of course we will foster better relations."
The Japanese capital has launched a complex bid plan, including a promise that about 95 percent of the Olympic venues would fall within an 8-km radius of the central stadium in downtown Tokyo. It also vowed to cut the traveling time between the Athletes' Village and the venues to within 20 minutes.
Nakamori said he was confident about Japan's bid.
"This time, we would like to be very active. We are confident because we have a very good plan," he told China Daily.
"We are convinced that our bid is at a very high level. The Japanese government is strongly supporting us."
The International Olympic Committee will announce its shortlist on June 4 in Athens at its executive board meeting. It will name the winning city at its full session in Copenhagen on Oct 2, 2009.
