The 2020 Tokyo Olympics have finally begun, but this year’s scaled-down 開会式 (kaikaishiki, opening ceremony) saw 賞賛もあれば厳しい声もあった (shōsan mo areba, kibishii koe mo atta, voices of both praise and criticism).
With the デルタ株 (deruta kabu, delta variant) of the coronavirus ever-present, Emperor Naruhito found himself in a tough spot regarding his speech. Should he use the term 祝い (iwai, celebration) — which his grandfather Emperor Hirohito used in 1964 — to declare the Games open?
Instead, he chose the term 記念 (kinen, celebrate), which has more of a commemorative nuance: 私は、ここに、第32回近代オリンピアードを記念する、東京大会の開会を宣言します (Watashi wa, koko ni, dai sanjūni-kai kindai Orinpiādo o kinen suru, Tōkyō taikai no kaikai o sengen shimasu, I declare open the Games of Tokyo celebrating the 32nd Olympiad of the modern era).
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