This Oct. 10, 1964 file photo shows the Olympic rings drawn by the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force's acrobatic flight team Blue Impulse during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics. (Kyodo)

       TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's Air Self-Defense Force said Thursday its Blue Impulse aerobatics team will trace the five Olympic rings in the sky with colored smoke on the day that the Tokyo Olympics open next month.

       The team's fighter jets will fly over central Tokyo making circular smoke trails of blue, yellow, black, green and red in the hours before the nighttime opening ceremony for the Olympics at the National Stadium on July 23, according to the ASDF.

       "We want to bring smiles to many people around the world," ASDF Chief of Staff Shunji Izutsu said at a press conference.

       The team will also perform a flyover prior to the Paralympics opening ceremony on Aug. 24, the ASDF said, likely featuring the games' symbolic colors of red, blue and green.

       The specifics of the performances, including flight routes, will be announced at a later date, according to the ASDF.

       Blue Impulse, based at its Matsushima base in Higashimatsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, in northeastern Japan, gave a similar performance at the opening ceremony of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

       The aerobatics team also took to the skies in March last year to mark the arrival of the upcoming Summer Games' flame from Greece.

       In May last year, the team flew over central Tokyo in a show of respect to health care workers who have been at the forefront of the battle against the coronavirus pandemic.

       Font Size S M L Print Timeline 0