Tokyo Paralympic torch relay to be held in Japan's four prefectures

TOKYO - The Tokyo Paralympic torch relay will be held in the four prefectures co-hosting the Paralympic events, the organizers announced here on Wednesday.

Tokyo 2020 organizing committee said in a statement that unlike the Olympic torch relay, which covers Japan's all 47 prefectures, the Paralympic torch relay will only pass the four hosting regions of Tokyo, Shizuoka, Chiba and Saitama between August 17 and 24.

But flame festivals and celebrations will be taking place across all 47 prefectures from August 12. Each flame festival will incorporate a flame lighting festival, a departure ceremony, visits of the flame to local sightseeing spots.

The flames from each prefecture will subsequently be brought together with a flame from Stoke Mandeville, the British birthplace of the Paralympic Movement, to become a single Paralympic flame at a ceremony in Tokyo on August 20, read the statement.

The flame will then tour Tokyo in the climax of the Paralympic torch relay from August 21 until August 24, the day of the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Paralympic Games.