Abstract
The 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games—the festival of Para sports—were held for 13 days from August 24th to September 5th, 2021, after being postponed one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The NHK Broadcasting Culture Institute has been studying the efforts of NHK and other broadcasters in delivering this national event as well as the reception of viewers. Our research also explores how people with disabilities perceive Paralympic coverage and what attitudes they have towards the inclusive society, including web surveys conducted right after both the 2018 PyeongChang Paralympic Winter Games and the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games.This article reports the results of the web survey held immediately after the Tokyo Paralympics mainly aimed at people with disabilities. In addition, based on previous studies, and with an author making himself part of the research subject as a person with a disability, the paper examines the legacy of Paralympic broadcasts and the roles of broadcasting in representing diverse people including minorities such as people with disabilities, for the advancement of inclusive societies.
