Abstract
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) welcomed the Olympics Games with an aim to begin reconstruction following WWII devastation. In preparation for the Tokyo Games in 1964, TMG did not make the Olympics itself a primary goal, but opted for “related projects,” among which included long-term plans and heavy investments accordingly. TMG selected several projects under the Waste Management Bureau as “related projects” from the viewpoint of hygiene and beautification, taking into account the approval of foreign visitors.
These included: 1. Revision of the collection system from the irregular, unhygienic collection system that citizens considered to be a problem, not to mention traffic and fire prevention issues, to a regular collection system that utilized portable containers; 2. Encouragement to introduce flush toilets as the sewer penetration rate in the Tokyo Metropolitan area remained at a 20% range and urine was being collected manually from many households; and 3. Enhanced road and river clean-up schemes. One year after the Olympic Tokyo Games, incidents such as the fly outbreak at Yumenoshima offended the public, the launch of garbage-fueled power generation in Osaka City, and the problems that arose due to industrial waste in some cities, affected administrations when it came to the issue of waste management. Thus, the Olympic Tokyo Games actually created modern waste management systems that led us to our present-day situation.
