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On December 15, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended a ceremony to mark the completion of the construction of the New National Stadium.
 
The Prime Minister said in his address,
 
“I would like to offer some remarks on the occasion of this ceremony to mark the completion of the construction of the New National Stadium.
 
Around four-and-a-half years ago, I made a promise, that the New National Stadium will be something that receives the blessing of the public and the athletes, and a venue that moves and inspires the dreams of people around the world. We then revised the construction plan and today, we are celebrating the successful completion of a national stadium that puts athletes first, uses the world’s most advanced universal design, and incorporates harmony with the local environment and Japanese style.
 
I can imagine that there have been many hardships and difficulties on the way to the completion of the construction of the New National Stadium, which will symbolize the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. There was even a change in the design partway through. It is truly thanks to your hard work and contributions, as part of an ‘All Japan’ effort, that we have been able to complete its construction. I would like to once again express my respect to everyone involved.
 
We must create a Games in which people can share their dreams and hopes and that will be a legacy that people can be proud of. The Games must also communicate Japan’s capabilities to the world and pave the way for the future of Japan. The New National Stadium will truly be appropriate for that event, where the world’s top athletes will come together and challenge their own limits, where various dramatic scenes will unfold, and which will inspire people around the world.
 
We are about to enter the final stretch in the run-up to the Games. In closing, I would like to express my heartfelt hope that this new focal point for sports, completed in the first year of the new Reiwa era, will go down in sports history in the years to come.”