THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
November 24, 2018 at 18:50 JST
IOC President Thomas Bach, center, visits a baseball stadium in Fukushima with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Nov. 24. (Pool)
FUKUSHIMA--IOC President Thomas Bach and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a quick trip Saturday to the region northeast of Tokyo that was devastated by a 2011 earthquake and tsunami that destroyed three nuclear reactors.
The Fukushima region will hold baseball and softball games during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The visit was intended to showcase a region that government officials say is safe, except for a no-go zone around the nuclear plant. Environmental groups have disputed some government claims and have raised safety concerns.
Neither Abe nor Bach took questions after visiting a baseball stadium and meeting with local residents and athletes.
Government officials want the Olympics to convince a world audience that the region is safe.
Bach is in Japan for a week of meetings with Tokyo Olympic organizers and national Olympic officials for about 200 countries.
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