Toward the Realization of "Unity in Diversity"
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Toward the Realization of "Unity in Diversity" －Olympics and Paralympic Games and Human Rights－ In this brochure, theUni-Voiceaudio codeis printed on each page (at the bottom right of odd-numbered pages and the bottom left of even-numbered pages). By scanning it with the Uni-Voice app, you can listen to the recorded information.
Realizing Tokyo as a city where
human rights are cherished
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Olympic Charter places special impor-
tance on human rights as a fundamental principle of Olympism. The Games, there-
fore, are to embody these values.
A city where everyone ‒ women, men, children, senior citizens, people with
impairments, and members of the LGBT community ‒ can live vibrant and active
lives. This is the vision for the “new Tokyo” where the “diversity” I strive to achieve
has been realized. I am confident that this “city of diversity” is the embodiment of the
principle of respect for human rights as demanded in the Olympic Charter.
In August 2015, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government revised the “Tokyo Metro-
politan Government Guidelines for the Promotion of Human Rights Measures.” In
addition, in October 2018, the “Tokyo Metropolitan Government Ordinance Seeking
Realization of the Principle of Respect for Human Rights Outlined in the Olympic
Charter” was enacted.
As the social environment undergoes rapid transformation, the situation surround-
ing human rights is growing in complexity and diversity. In the current COVID-19
pandemic, unjust discrimination and defamation against infected people and health-
care workers have become part of serious social problems. The Tokyo Metropolitan
Government will rapidly and accurately respond to these and other human rights
issues, and devote itself to developing effective human rights measures, painting a
bright future for Tokyo.
The last Olympic Games held in Tokyo in 1964 showcased Japan’s post-war recovery.
The Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 will also besignificant, as they will be
held as the “Recovery and Reconstruction Games” and also symbolize the bonds of
humanity to be cemented in the successful fight against the pandemic. It will be the first
time in history for the samecity to host the Paralympic Games twice.
I hope to make these Games an opportunity to realize communities where everyone
can feel “kindness.” Bringing together the strengths of all Tokyo residents to make the
Games a great success, let’s make Tokyo a city where human rights are cherished.
March 2021
Yuriko Koike
Governor of Tokyo
2
The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms
set forth in this Olympic Charter shall be
secured without discrimination of any kind,
such as race, colour, sex, sexual
orientation, language, religion, political or
other opinion, national or social origin,
property, birth or other status.
Principle 6 of the Fundamental Principles of
Olympism from the International Olympic Com-
mittee Olympic Charter
3
Olympics and Paralympic
Games and Human Rights
Do you know about "Olympism"?
It is said that Olympism is the ideal of the Olympic. The
Olympic Charter established by the International Olympic
Committee (IOC) clearly states that the Olympic Games are
a sports festival that gives consideration to human rights.
Fundamental Principles of Olympism (extracts)
4 The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual
must have the possibility of practising sport, without dis-
crimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which
requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship,
solidarity and fair play.
6 The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set forth in
this Olympic Charter shall be secured without discrimina-
tion of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, sexual orienta-
tion, language, religion, political or other opinion, national
or social origin, property, birth or other status.
Fundamental Principles of Olympism from the
International Olympic Committee Olympic Charter
4
Paralympic Games and Human Rights
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has also
strongly expressed the principle of respect for human rights
in the IPC Handbook.
We are required to realize these principles as the host city
of Tokyo 2020 Games.
Position Statement on Human Rights
（extracts）
4 The IPC believes in sport as a vehicle to promote peace,
which will result in the preservation of human dignity and
equality for all.
(From IPC Handbook)
Column Values of the Paralympic Games
The IPC upholds the following four principles as values
of the Paralympic Games.
"Courage" "Determination" "Equality" "Inspiration"
The Paralympic Games, where athletes with impairments
challenge their limits by making the best use of inventive-
ness, provide fair opportunities in which diversity is recog-
nized and all competitors can actively participate by exhibit-
ing their individuality and abilities. The Paralympics also
make us realize the necessity of reducing barriers in society
and of changing our way of thinking.
5
The Games in Tokyo and
Human Rights
"Unity in Diversity" upheld
as the vision of the Tokyo 2020 Games.
In the Tokyo 2020 Games vision, three core concepts are
upheld.“Unity in Diversity”is one of the three concepts with
“Achieving Personal Best”and“Connecting to Tomorrow”.
This concept means that accepting and respecting differences in
race, colour, gender, sexual orientation, language, religion, politi-
cal or other opinion, level of ability or other status allows society
to continue to develop and flourish.
It also conveys the thought that the Tokyo 2020 Games will
foster a welcoming environment and raise a wareness of unity in
diversity among citizens of the world.
6
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Ordinance Seeking
Realization of the Principle of Respect for Human
Rights Outlined in the Olympic Charter
Taking the opportunity of Tokyo 2020 Games, the Tokyo Metro-
politan Government established the ordinances with the aim of
realizing Tokyo as a city where the principle of respect for human
rights is widely recognized and any form of discrimination is con-
demned, as stated in the Olympic Charter.
The outline of the ordinance
⑴ Making the principle of respect for human rights a reality, as
stated in the Olympic Charter.
⑵ Promotion of the understanding of diverse sexuality
⑶ Promotion of the efforts to eliminate unfair discriminatory speech
and behavior against persons originating from outside Japan.
Guidelines for the Promotion of Human Rights
Measures by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government
Taking the opportunity of the Tokyo 2020 Games, the Tokyo
Metropolitan Government is aiming to realize a city where human
rights are respected.
To this end, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government aims to pro-
mote human rights measures under the following fundamental
principles and to become a city where human rights are guaran-
teed and that is worthy of being called an international city.
Fundamental principles
⑴ A Tokyo filled with compassion in which
people are given recognition and respect-
ed for their dignity.
⑵ A Tokyo with widespread awareness of
human rights that does not condone any
form of discrimination.
⑶ A Tokyo that respects diversity and
tolerates all kinds of differences that stem
from it.
7
□Message from an athlete
Takeshi Matsuda
The Olympic Games are a forum for
harmony in diversity.
□What do the Olympic Games mean to you?
The Olympics are a stage I had dreamed of
since childhood. I have participated in the
Olympics four times since my first appearance
at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, when I was
20 years old, but the Olympics remain a
dream stage for me, and for all other athletes
no matter how many times they have partici-
pated in them.
□Swimming is an individual sport, but what do you think is important
to build trust with other athletes and staff members on your team?
I believe communication is essential for building trust. You can get your
ideas across to other people when you try to communicate proactively.
If you are an athlete, it’s important to clearly convey your aims and
goals and clarify what you should do to achieve them, so that you can
be clearheaded about what to do next.
□Do you have any personal anecdote to share from your interactions
with overseas athletes?
When foreign athletes found that I’m Japanese, they often tried to
communicate with me by bringing up things Japanese that they knew,
such as words, culture, anime, music, films, or food. This truly pleases me.
However, there were also times when I felt that foreign athletes under
estimated Japanese. When I joined a foreign team for training, I put in
my all and recorded good training times. I
found the attitude of my teammates totally
changed after that training. I could feel that
they appreciated me and my skills. I don’t
think it had anything to do with ethnic
discrimination. Rather, they judged other
athletes by their ability.
8
□What is your motto when you communicate with people outside
Japan?
My motto is to be always respectful of others. Since it appears to
people outside Japan that Japanese people generally lack the ability to
express their emotions, I make a conscious effort to clearly express my
intentions and feelings.
□Tokyo strives to become a Human Rights City. What do you think of
Tokyo compared with other metropolises in the world?
There are many Japanese who are not familiar with communicating
with foreigners and people different from themselves. For example, they
cannot spontaneously offer to help even if they find a foreigner in need
on the street. This is a major challenge facing Japanese society, a chal-
lenge caused by a lack of effort to ensure harmony in diversity.
An example of harmony in diversity elsewhere would be swimming
competitions in Australia, which are participated in by both disabled and
able-bodied athletes. Paralympians warm up next to us, and para swim-
ming races are held between races for able-bodied athletes. This way,
the organizers need only one venue, and spectators can enjoy both
races by disabled athletes and able-bodied athletes. I hope harmony in
diversity will be materialized not just in sports, but also in society in
Tokyo and hopefully in
Japan as a whole.
■Takeshi Matsuda
Born in June 1984.
He began swimming at age four and made his first
appearance at the Olympics in Athens when he was
20 years old.
In the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, he won a bronze
medal in the men’s 200-metre butterfly event. In the
2012 Olympics in London, he served as the captain of
Japan’s swimming team. He won a bronze medal in
the 200-metre butterfly event and was on the silver
medal-winning relay team in the 4 × 100 metre
medley relay. In the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro,
he won a bronze medal in the 4 × 200 metre
freestyle relay. He retired from competition after the
National Athletic Meet in 2016.
9
□Message from an athlete
Tomoki Suzuki
What matters the most is a
barrier-free mindset.
□What do the Paralympic Games mean to you?
I believe the Paralympic Games stand at the pinnacle of parasports. I
became aware of the Games in junior high school, and after graduating from
high school, I came to concentrate on athletic competitions with my sights set
on competing in the Paralympic Games. I have since devoted myself to train-
ing to improve my skills to a world-class level.
The next Paralympic Games, which will be staged in Tokyo, will provide a
great opportunity for people in Japan to take a close look at the Paralympic
Games and parasports.
□What is the appeal of wheelchair racing?
We use a special three-wheeled wheelchair designed for competitive racing.
In track events, we compete at a speed of about 30 to 35 km per hour. In the
marathon, the speed may exceed 80 km per hour on a downward slope in
some courses. So, a sense of speed is definitely a part of the appeal of the
marathon. Its strategic elements are also not to be missed, such a show to use
athletes in front of us as protections from the wind, as in the Tour de France,
and where in the 42.195 km course we should spurt to get ahead.
□Do you have any personal anecdote to share from international competi-
tions? How did you find the spectators there?
When the World Para Athletics Championships were held in London, the
stadium there was filled to capacity. It renewed my faith in the power of sport
when I saw spectators being over the moon with the good performance of
athletes from the UK in the finals.
10□Numerous Paralympians will participate in the
Tokyo 2020 Games. What do you think is neces-
sary to drive momentum towards the Games?
Comparison between Tokyo and London, for
example, in terms of physical barriers shows that
Tokyo has a much better barrier-free environ-
ment. However, Tokyo lags behind in terms of a
barrier-free mindset. I think people in Tokyo often
think twice about lending a helping hand when
they find a person with visual impairment or in a
wheelchair in trouble on the street.
In London and elsewhere outside Japan, people are ready to offer help to
persons with disability, casually asking them if there is anything they can help
them with.
I hope that such psychological barriers will also be overcome to develop
barrier-free minds in Tokyo so that people feel comfortable with offering help
to others whether they are with or without disability.
□What do you think is important to develop a barrier-free mindset?
I think it takes courage to offer help to a stranger on the street. Even if you
pluck up the courage and offer help, the attitude of that person in trouble may
make you feel like never doing so again. If the person replies“It’s all right”in a
firm tone, that maybe turns off many people who may decide to never offer
help again. Therefore, I make it a rule to thank whoever offers me help. I
believe the expression of appreciation encourages more people to offer help
whenever they see others in trouble. The courage of offering help is important,
but so are the feelings and attitudes of those on the receiving end.
■ Tomoki Suzuki
Born in June 1994, he works for Toyota Motor
Corporation.
His spine was injured in a traffic accident when
he was eight months old. He took up para-athletics
when he was in his fifth year of elementary school.
He holds the current Japanese record for the
400m and 800m wheelchair races (as of February
2021).
He came third in the men’s wheelchair race at
the 2019 London Marathon and qualified for the
Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. He is striving to be
on the Japanese national team also in track events.
11More attention points !
Olympic and Paralympic Games
From the Tokyo 1964 Games to the
Tokyo 2020 Games
The Games in Tokyo were the first Olympics held in Asia, which hosted
more than 5,000 athletes gathered from 93 countries and regions, the
most in history at that time.
After around 50 years, the number of countries and regions that partic-
ipated in the Rio 2016 Games was“207.”
For the first time in half a century, Japan will host the Tokyo 2020
Games. We will have a chance to experience cultures and values from
around the world as well as meet nearly twice as many top athletes than
at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
We should make the hosting of the Games a great opportunity for each
one of us to deepen our understanding for people from different walks of
life such as those with impairments and from foreign countries, and to
turn Tokyo into a city where everyone can feel kindness.
12Supporters who assist athletes
with visual impairments
Can you walk with your eyes closed? Perhaps you cannot walk as you
normally walk.
Athletes with visual impairment can do their best and focus on playing
sports with peace of mind only if there are people who support such athletes.
In track events and mar-
athon races, athletes with
visual impairmentare
guided by escort runners
known as guide runners.
In football 5-a-side, outfielders are
assisted by a guide who speaks the loca-
tion of the goal and a sighted or low-vi-
sion goalkeeper who gives instructions
from behind. The guide stands behind
the opponent's goal and lets teammates
know the goal's location. The goalkeep-
er not only protects the goal but also
gives instructions for defense.
In swimming, athletes
with visual impairment are
assisted by a coach or
someone else who uses a
poleto tap the swimmer
when they approach the
wall, indicating when they
should turn or end the race.
13Let’s rethink "human rights"
through the Paralympics.
“
Respect for diversity”
In recent years,“diversity”has been emphasized in the Olympic
and Paralympic Games. This is based on the concept that the
Olympic Movement* is promoted through the participation of a
wide variety of people in the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Let each of us rethink the“human rights”issues around us so
that we will be able to make the Tokyo 2020 Games a successful
event where everyone can participate and enjoy, and to realize an
inclusive society where diversity is respected now and in the
future.
*The movement to nurture human health in
mind and body, cultivate a spirit of friendship,
solidarity, and fair play and understand one
another mutually through sports so that
people in the world join hands and realize
world peace.
14Response to people with disabilities
and impairments
Barriers that people with impairments face include“information
barriers,”which pose difficulty in obtaining information, and“psy-
chological barriers,”like prejudice and discrimination, in addition to
“physical barriers”such as differences in floor heights at shops and
other facilities.
Tokyo is the world’s first city to host the summer Paralympic Games
twice. We should make the hosting of the Games a good opportunity
for us to deepen our understanding of impairments with the aim of
establishing an inclusive society where everyone, both people with and
without impairments, shows respect and supports each other, in addi-
tion to promoting the development of barrier-free communities.
Human rights of foreigners
Not only athletes but also a lot of tourists will visit Japan for the
Tokyo 2020 Games. The quality of Japanese hospitality is highly
praised around the world. On the other hand, discrimination and preju-
dice against foreigners have been observed due to the lack of under-
standing of differences in their languages, cultures, religions, and life
habits. In recent years, discriminatory speech and behavior against spe-
cific ethnic groups and nationalities are becoming social problems they
are considered“hate speech.”Such speech and behaviors should be
forbidden from the perspective of creating a mature society where the
human rights of individuals are respected
and people can live affluent lives at ease.
The Olympic and Paralympic Games are a
worldwide sports festival, which is also called
a“celebration of peace.”When we see
world-class athletes demonstrate their excel-
lent performance across nationalities and
races, let’
s think about how important it is for
both foreigners and Japanese to respect each
other and accept diversity among people.
15(Reference information)
Website of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC)
https://www.joc.or.jp/
https://www.joc.or.jp/olympism/charter/（Olympic Charter）
Website of the Japanese Paralympic Committee (JPC)
https://www.jsad.or.jp/paralympic/
Website of the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and
Paralympic Games
https://tokyo2020.org/ja/
Human Rights Division, Bureau of General Affairs,
Tokyo Metropolitan Government
Official website: “Jinken no tobira (A Door Leading
to Human Rights)”
https://www.soumu.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/10jinken/tobira/
Official Twitter of the Human Rights Division
https://twitter.com/tocho_jinken
Official YouTube channel of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government:
“Tokyodouga” (List of movies on human rights)
https://tokyodouga.jp/life/rights
Tokyo Metropolitan Human Rights Plaza (Exhibition on the "Olympic
and Paralympic Games and Human Rights" is presently being held)
https://www.tokyo-hrp.jp/
Toward the Realization of "Unity in Diversity"
－Olympics and Paralympic Games and Human Rights－
Published in March, 2021
Edited and published by the Human Rights Measures Promotion
Section, Human Rights Division, Bureau of General Affairs, Tokyo
Metropolitan Government
8-1 Nishi-Shinjuku 2-chome, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 163-8001
Phone number: 03-5388-2588 (direct dialing)
Print: CANDZ Communication Corporation
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