Political leaders and Tokyoites welcome the decision to award the Games to Japan with "enthusiasm" and "joy". Not everyone elsewhere in the country is hot to the idea, concerned that the Olympics will boost taxes. For them, the money could have been used "to secure the nuclear plants".

Tokyo (AsiaNews) - Japan's National Olympic Committee and some 2,000 people welcomed with a resounding 'banzai' the decision announced by International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge to assign the 2020 Olympic Games to the Japanese capital. However, the joy felt in the Japanese capital was not shared by everyone in the country.

After beating Istanbul, which lost because of its support for a possible attack against Assad's Syria according to several analysts, Tokyo celebrated its victory with extended TV coverage and a spectacle of athletes and politicians in the streets of the capital.

"I hope children will continue whatever sport they're doing and aim to be in the Olympics," three-time Olympic gold medal wrestler Saori Yoshida said.

Japan is the first Asian country to host the Olympics twice. The 1964 Games were the first since the war.

"There were no facilities, no food to eat; no barbells; no place to practice. That was what it was like," said Yoshinobu Miyake (who won gold in weightlifting in 1964). Now there is Fukushima and the Games will bring relief to the nation.

Not everyone is convinced though, especially people from the prefecture affected by the disaster of 11 March 2011. On Japan Times, one of them congratulated Tokyo but was unsure why since the Games could only boost prices with tax money thrown at them to fulfill narcissistic politicians and athletes doped from head to toe.

On Asahi Shimbun's forum, Tokeshi said that money that could have been used to "secure the nuclear plants" would now go to the Games. In his view, human safety was, is and will be more important than a medal. In the end, politicians who want to make their mark in history will not pay.

• japan
• olympics
• nuclear
• plants