ABSTRACT
Stripped of the honour of staging the 1940 Summer Games when it invaded China in 1937, Tokyo was awarded the 1964 Games just 15 years after the end of the Second World War. Although Japan was enjoying a sustained economic boom, Tokyo itself had been devastated by US bombing raids, and the Games were seen as a catalyst to transform and modernize one of the fastest growing cities in the world.
A major urban upgrade was planned, centred on the Olympic sites, which won many plaudits for their architecture. There had been a stadium on the chosen site since 1924, but this was demolished in 1956 to be replaced by a 52,000 capacity National Stadium. This was very well located, so the decision was made to upgrade and extend it for the 1964 Games.
Architect Matsuo Katayama hoped to increase spectator capacity to 100,000, but the practical limit turned out to be 75,000. A new crescent-shaped grandstand was added, along with supplementary high-powered lighting to facilitate colour TV transmissions.
Since the Games the stadium hosted many events, but when Tokyo was awarded the 2020 Games it was decided to demolish it and build a new stadium on the same site.
