FILE PHOTO: Akiko Amano, 50, a judoist, the sole Japanese judo judge for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and the 15th-generation and first female head of the country?s oldest fireworks company, poses for a photograph at her house in Tokyo, Japan April 28, 2021.REUTERS/Issei Kato
TOKYO (Reuters) - Akiko Amano, the sole Japanese judo referee at this year's Tokyo Olympics, has a full-time job that involves more heat and energy than a gold medal match: She is the first female head of a famed fireworks company whose history goes back 362 years.
When the Kagiya company puts on a fireworks display, which can attract more than a million spectators, Amano oversees about 100 pyrotechnicians. Although the required skills are quite different from those of a judo judge, Amano says she draws strength from her work experience.
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