Regarding the Olympics, Japan and several other countries have now reached a critical point in the process.
Japan is very enthusiastic about hosting the 2020 Olympics, far more so than the other countries that are also bidding to host the Games.
Since the economic stagnation in the 1990s, Japan has developed in a very pessimistic social environment. Despite efforts by each successive government to stimulate the national economy, it has been difficult to make up for the severe impacts caused by the collapse of the economic bubble.
The current Japanese Prime Minister in this world came up with another possible way to stimulate the economy.
Of course, this might also be the only solution Japan has been able to come up with, so whether in the original world or in this parallel world, Japan is pursuing this course of action.
This might also have a certain inevitability in the course of history.
In any case, the past few months have been the most crucial period. Both the Japanese Prime Minister and his ministers have been actively lobbying, promising the International Olympic Committee that Japan is fully capable of hosting another Olympics.
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It's practically a done deal now; the only remaining step is the final vote in July. Japan just needs to secure as many votes as possible during this period to win the bid.
Because of this, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, which has been closely involved with Gamestar Electronic Entertainment, has stopped cooperating with the company on cultural promotion for Japan.
When Takayuki proactively approached the current Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Shizuoka Jiro, the minister thought Takayuki wanted him to focus more on their department's collaboration with Gamestar Electronic Entertainment and increase the investment in promotions. However, Takayuki's statement left him surprised.
"You mean, you want to be involved in the Olympic hosting process?" Shizuoka asked.
"That's right. This could be a good opportunity for promotion," Takayuki nodded.
Shizuoka Jiro's expression became serious: "Mr. Takayuki, the Olympics are no joke. Promoting Japanese culture and the Olympics are two different things. We cannot use the Olympics as a promotional tool for your company."
"I know, I know. What I mean is, the promotion won't be limited to our game titles, although our works are the most famous. But what I hope is for video games to become a key element of the Olympics," Takayuki explained.
"Video games as an Olympic element? You mean, you want to turn video games into an Olympic sport? That might be possible…" Shizuoka Jiro began.
Takayuki interrupted, "No, I'm not interested in adding video games as an Olympic sport. I just hope that the opening ceremony can feature elements of video games, not only video games, but you must know what Japan's most powerful exports are right now, Minister Shizuoka."
Shizuoka Jiro thought for a moment, then immediately understood: "You mean… anime, games, and all related cultural creations?"
"That's right. That's exactly what I'm thinking."
"Using video games and anime as the main content of the opening ceremony is a bit risky. Originally, we were planning to feature Japan's classic traditional culture in the ceremony."
Takayuki decisively said, "Then I must tell you, Minister Shizuoka, that this approach will likely turn more people away, making them dislike Japanese culture. You may not know the current status of the Olympics, right?"
"This… I don't really know," Shizuoka admitted.
Shizuoka Jiro is in charge of cultural promotion, but when it comes to the Olympics, he simply views it as a tool for cultural promotion. He didn't know much about the current situation of the Games.
Takayuki said, "The attraction of the Olympics in the past has always been youthfulness and a civilizational competition between countries. Similarly, the Olympics has been a form of entertainment. You should agree with this, Minister Shizuoka?"
Shizuoka Jiro nodded, "I can't deny that."
"Now, you must have noticed that internet media and entertainment have become increasingly rich. People now spend more time online than watching TV or sports programs. Even Japan's most popular baseball sport now has significantly lower average viewership compared to ten years ago. This is the reality, and the same applies to the Olympics. The popularity of the Olympics is steadily declining. Just from the fact that countries aren't as eager to host the Games, it's clear. Hosting the Olympics is now a losing business. If it weren't for political reasons or to showcase national power, the Olympics would actually be a burden."
At first, Shizuoka Jiro didn't feel much about it, but after hearing Takayuki's words, he started to see some sense in them.
Indeed, the countries competing with Japan for the Olympics are not as enthusiastic about hosting the event. They seem to treat it as a routine task, at best showing a neutral attitude, with the Olympics being something they could take or leave.
"Now that we are at the crucial stage of securing the Olympics, I believe we can take a different approach. Video games, anime, and other cultural exports are Japan's pride, and these are what young people love. I believe we should deeply integrate these cultural products with the Olympics, attract young people, and with young people, the Olympics will have a future."
"I need to think about it carefully."
Takayuki wasn't in a hurry. He said, "Take your time, and soon you will see that what I'm saying is correct. When the time comes, I only have one hope."
"One hope?"
"To make Super Mario the embodiment of the Prime Minister. As for other promotions, I won't ask for anything more. I just hope that when the Rio Olympics end, we can use Super Mario as our promotional tool. When the promotion is over, you'll realize this was a priceless investment."
Takayuki didn't need to elaborate further.
This was still a distant prospect, and he was just trying to get Shizuoka Jiro to believe that video games could be one of Japan's future development directions.
The rest depended on whether Shizuoka Jiro could accept this line of thinking.
After discussing this, Takayuki returned to the company. There were other things for him to attend to, and whether he could actually convince Shizuoka Jiro to use video games and other elements as a promotional tool for the Olympics and Japan's culture was not something Takayuki could control.
However, given the trajectory of history, Takayuki was confident that his persuasion would likely be successful.