THE 1940 AND 1964 TOKYO OLYMPIC GAMES: OLYMPIC REFLECTIONS OF JAPAN'S TRANSFORMATION IN THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM

Rezumat

The purpose of this study is to examine the 1940 and 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games through a comparative historical perspective in order to reveal how Japan's transformation within the international system was reflected in the Olympic Games. The study was conducted using a comparative historical research design within the qualitative research paradigm. Data were collected through document analysis, with primary sources including the Report of the Organizing Committee on Its Work for the XIIth Olympic Games of 1940 in Tokyo Until the Relinquishment, the Official Report of the Games of the XVIII Olympiad Tokyo 1964, and the minutes of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Sessions held between 1932 and 1938 and in 1959. In addition, findings were interpreted through comparative historical analysis and thematic analysis based on verified academic literature. The findings demonstrate that the Tokyo 1940 Olympic Project failed not because of organizational inadequacies but rather as a consequence of the international political developments of the period. Furthermore, the study establishes that Japan's withdrawal from hosting the 1940 Olympic Games and the eventual cancellation of the Games of the XII Olympiad were not the same historical event. The findings also suggest that the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games should be understood not only as a symbol of Japan's post-war economic recovery but also as the revival of an Olympic vision that had been interrupted in 1940 and reactivated under fundamentally different international circumstances. In conclusion, this study offers a new comparative historical and document-based interpretation of Olympic history by examining the 1940 and 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games as parts of an integrated Olympic process reflecting Japan's transformation within the international system.