Olympics-Nostalgic nods to 1964 in opening of Tokyo's second Games

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - The Tokyo 2020 Olympics Opening Ceremony - Olympic Stadium, Tokyo, Japan - July 23, 2021. The Olympic cauldron is lit by Naomi Osaka during the opening ceremony REUTERS/Marko Djurica

TOKYO (Reuters) - Drones and other high-tech marvels were on parade at the Tokyo 2020 opening ceremony on Friday, but some of the most heartfelt moments were a look back to the past - 1964, when the Japanese capital became the first place in Asia to host the Games.

Those Olympics have long been a touchstone of national pride, marking Japan's return to the global stage fewer than 20 years after its devastating defeat in World War Two and ushering in a period of robust economic growth and technological innovation.