Tokyo Photo News March 2023

On March 5, Tokyo Marathon 2023 was held. The number of participants was 38,000, the same scale as the pre-pandemic limit of participants. Along the 42.195 km road from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office to Tokyo Station to Miyuki-dori, there were no restrictions on cheering, and many people cheered for the runners for the first time in four years.

On March 10, the Spring Memorial Service for the Victims of War Damage in Tokyo and the Victims of the Great Kanto Earthquake were held at the Tokyo Memorial Hall in Sumida Ward. On this day, the inside of the monument containing the lists of victims of the Tokyo air raids located in Yokoamicho Park was also opened to the public. At the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the 33rd Tokyo Metropolitan Peace Day Commemorative Ceremony was held. A moment of silence was offered in memory of those who died in the Tokyo air raids and other war-related damages, and prayers for lasting peace in the world were made.

On March 21, the Tokyo Parasports Training Center opened at Ajinomoto Stadium in Chofu City. The Center is the first base set up by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for improving the competitiveness of parasports, and serves as a place where people with and without impairments can become familiar with parasports.
Governor Koike said, “In the summer of 2024, Paralympic Games will be held in Paris, France, and in 2025, the Deaflympics will be held here in Tokyo. We would like to support athletes who will soar on the global stage from this facility.”

The closing ceremony of the Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center was held on March 30.
At the ceremony, the president of the Tokyo Swimming Association, Kosuke Kitajima, looked back on its 30-year history by showing videos of the time when he set a new world record in 2008 and by introducing messages and videos from athletes.
With the reopening of the Tokyo Aquatics Center in April, the Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center will be renovated into an ice rink facility which is scheduled to open in the fall of 2025.