East Japan Railway Company (JR East) announced on 7 June 2016 that the company has concluded an agreement with the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to sponsor the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games as a Tokyo 2020 Official Partner (Passenger Rail Transportation Services category) in accordance with the Tokyo 2020 Sponsorship Programme.
In 2017, East Japan Railway Company (JR East) will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the founding of the company in 1987, following the restructuring of the Japanese National Railways. JR East’s railway network, consisting of approximately 1,660 stations and spanning more than 7,400 km, lies at the core of its operations. Based on its key phrase of “Thriving with Communities, Growing Globally,” JR East aims to contribute to the growth and prosperity of the East Japan area by providing high quality and leading-edge services to customers and communities.
Over the years, JR East has pressed ahead with the development of barrier-free railway infrastructure as part of the company’s commitment to providing safe and comfortable transportation services that can be used with ease. The company is also active in the revitalisation of local industries, striving to make the Tokyo metropolitan area more appealing while promoting tourism in the Tohoku region and other parts of the East Japan area.
The company similarly supports community sports activities through its in-house sports teams, which include baseball, women’s judo, and track and field teams, as well as its involvement with the JEF UNITED Ichihara Chiba professional football team. As one facet of these efforts, JR East began providing aid to athletes with impairments as an official partner to the Japanese Para-Sports Association in 2015.
As a Tokyo 2020 Official Partner, JR East will act in its capacity as a company operating in the East Japan area to help ensure that the Tokyo 2020 Games proceed without issue. At the same time, JR East will redouble its various efforts to contribute to the growing enthusiasm surrounding the Tokyo 2020 Games. Moreover, through these efforts, the company will endeavour to create an important legacy that will continue to benefit communities long after 2020.
(Source: JR East)
