Asian Games | Chaos, complaints, crisis: is this Japan in an alternate universe?

For years, Japan was the epitome of perfection, the country that planned things down to the last possible detail. The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, starting on Saturday, threatens to dent that reputation.

It began with concerns, whispered initially before growing loud enough and from quarters widespread enough, about the city and the organisers’ preparedness for an event whose magnitude is larger than the Olympics. It became immediate when delegates from various National Olympic associations expressed reservations in private about the conditions and facilities for athletes and officials.

None of it caused alarm, given Japan’s reputation of pulling off mega events without a glitch. The Tokyo Olympics, in the immediate aftermath of Covid, had received appreciation for managing a never-before situation. The 2026 Asiad, however, has been far from it.