japan running news

http://www.asahi.com/articles/ASH915QR9H91UTIL032.html

translated by Brett Larner
photo via Wikipedia

Three luminaries gave Asahi their views on Tuesday's withdrawal of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics logo designed by Kenjiro Sano and officially released in late July.

Mitsuru Yaku, manga artist
With regard to the reason for the withdrawal, the organizing committee has repeatedly said, "We have been unable to obtain the understanding of the public," but with no independent review they have simply left this issue to the court of public opinion.  Going ahead now with no determination of where responsibility lies for, say, the selection process the first time, means that even if there are public contributions this time there will be some suspicion somewhere, and that raises the risk of stepping on the same landmine again.  In the first place, we already have the 1964 Tokyo Olympics logo, so why do we need to re-design a new one?  It has clarity and majesty.  No design could surpass it. …

http://www.nhk.or.jp/shutoken-news/20150901/4592851.html

translated and edited by Brett Larner

The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games Organizing Committee held a press conference on Sept. 1 to discuss the problems surrounding the Tokyo Olympics logo designed by Kenjiro Sano.  CEO Toshiro Muto told reporters, "We only heard it from Mr. Sano this morning, but the pictures illustrating usage of the logo were created for internal usage by the review committee at the time the design was submitted.  When the design was announced as the official logo it was the rule that permission needed to be obtained from all relevant copyright holders, but this failed to happen.  The explanation given was that this was due to simple carelessness."

Withregard to the strong similarity between Sano's initial draft design for the logo and a poster for an exhibition held in Tokyo several years ago, Muto commented, "Mr. Sano said, 'I make my designs myself, not in imitation of others, and consider …

Top story on the news right now: suspension of 2020 Tokyo Olympics logo. pic.twitter.com/C2ddnWOZDC — Japan Running News (@JRNHeadlines) September 1, 2015
http://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2015/09/01/kiji/K20150901011046540.html

translated by Brett Larner

Due to the ongoing concerns over the similarity of designer Kenjiro Sano's 2020 Tokyo Olympics official logo to that of a Belgian theater, on Sept. 1 the Tokyo Olympics organizing committee indicated that is will suspend use of the logo.  It is an extremely unusual situation for an Olympic logo to be recalled.  On the afternoon of the 1st representatives of the organizing committee and members of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government held an ad hoc meeting to discuss their future course of action.  2020 Tokyo Olympics organizing committee president Yoshiro Mori, Olympic minister Toshiaki Endo, Tokyo governor Yoichi Masuzoe, and JOC chairman Tsunekazu Takeda were expected to attend.

Since the official revealing of Sano's logo d…

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150821p2g00m0dm035000c.html

The two designs referenced in the article above, one by American Josh Divine from 2011 and the other from Tokyo Olympics logo designer Kenjiro Sano from earlier this year:

【#五輪エンブレム】佐野氏の『おおたBITOロゴ』見た米デザイナー「法律顧問と相談したい」★2 ２０２０年東京五輪公式エンブレムを制作したデザイナー、佐野研二郎氏（４３）の ... http://t.co/4yLaLSRAHFpic.twitter.com/N0JuqmKlG0 — DatNews (@DatNews) August 20, 2015

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201508150053

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/08/13/national/suntory-pulls-promotional-bags-bearing-designs-tokyo-olympics-emblem-creator/#.Vc0g9L8pKw2

In his defense of his Tokyo Olympics logo design last week, Kenjiro Sano stressed that the design was "something made starting from zero" and that "as an art director I have never ripped anything off."  While some of the comparisons below are pretty doubtful at best, a few clearly make use of pre-existing images and one, the swimmer and shadow, looks undeniably like a copy of the original's style.  Their withdrawal from the Suntory promo campaign is a major blow to the credibility of Sano's Tokyo logo defense.
サントリー、佐野氏デザインの一部賞品を取り下げ　佐野研二郎（本名・朴尊簸） http://t.co/3ub2dWdK5Q（朝鮮人はパクリの名人） pic.twitter.com/WlDumNMpwq — yosida (@honned_tubuyaki) August 13, 2015

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20150805-00000072-nksports-spo

translated by Brett Larner

Amid controversy surrounding the "strong similarity" of the official 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and Paralympic Games logos to the logo of Belgium's Theatre de Liege, art director Kenjiro Sano, 43, the person responsible for the Tokyo design, held a press conference August 5th in Tokyo.  Sano strongly denied the theater's claims of plagiarism, calling them "totally groundless" and saying that his design was "something made starting from zero."  Sano said that he "had never seen" the theater's logo, adding, "As an art director I have never ripped anything off," and "This is the culmination of my career.  As something truly original, I wanted to share it with the rest of the world."

Sano was on a business trip to New York through August 4, learning of the current problems while on the trip.  "It was a shock," he said.  …

http://www.dezeen.com/2015/07/24/tokyo-2020-olympics-paralympics-logo-kenjiro-sano/