Olympic diversity push highlights Japan’s struggles with change

The Japan Judo mixed team. - Reuters

TOKYO, Aug 1 (Bloomberg): One biracial athlete carried Japan’s flag at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, another lit the cauldron and both global sports stars put a spotlight on what has been dubbed the "Unity in Diversity” games.

Flag-bearer and NBA player Rui Hachimura and four-time Grand Slam tennis champion Naomi Osaka were front and center at the start of the games as the faces of a new Japan. But they also served as a reminder of how far one of the world’s most racially homogeneous countries has to go in embracing change.