The last time Japan hosted the summer games — Tokyo 1964 — it wowed visitors with its shinkansen, the sleek high-speed bullet train that has since become a byword for cool and efficient transport.
“One of the big problems is that we think we’re still innovative. But when you look at the rest of the world, we’re not the most innovative,” said Yoko Ishikura, an expert in competitiveness at Hitotsubashi University.“It is worrying to see that many Japanese have very little idea what is going on elsewhere,” Ishikura told AFP.
Panasonic is working on an ingenious automatic translation system that could be used for counters, for example. Two people speak on either side of a screen in their own language and the translation appears simultaneously written on the other side. Armchair sports fans will also have their experience enhanced with advanced motion sensor devices to offer data on ball position, heart rates or athlete movements. Fujitsu is even working with the International Gymnastics Federation to feed in motion data to assist judges.But perhaps the main sector hoping to use the games as a spur to innovation is transport.
All Nippon Airways recently tested a driverless bus at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport and some driverless taxi services aim to be fully functional in time for the Olympics.