Old Olympic Cauldron Spurs Hopes Of Recovery From 2011 Disasters

MIYAGI, JAPAN - JUN. 18: The cauldron used in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics was set up Thursday at a sports park in Ishinomaki, a northeastern Japan city heavily damaged by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Workers used heavy machinery to install the 2.6 ton cauldron, measuring 2.1 meters in both diameter and height. It is being lent to the coastal city in Miyagi Prefecture during renovations of Tokyo's National Stadium, which will serve as the main venue for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics. A local committee will organize a ceremony on June 27 to mark the installment and light a flame in the cauldron, attended by people affected by the disasters. Organizers say they hope the cauldron, which originally symbolized Japan's restoration from World War II, will become a symbol of recovery from the natural disasters.