Thanks to the understanding and cooperation gained from the City of Kashihara in Nara Prefecture (hereafter "Kashihara City"), Coca Cola Bottlers Japan Inc. completed the installation of the first set of Coca-Cola Olympic Torch Relay Memorial vending machines in this city on November 30, 2019. They were placed within the premise of Kintetsu Railway's Yamato-Yagi Station building.
This vending machine is a model specifically designed to build the momentum toward Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. On the day of completion of the installation of Coca-Cola Olympic Torch Relay Memorial vending machines, the unveiling ceremony has been organized at the installation site to uplift the local spirit toward the Olympic torch relay event slated to be held in Kashihara City on April 12, 2020.

Intended role of Coca-Cola Olympic Torch Relay Memorial vending machines

Coca-Cola Olympic Torch Relay Memorial vending machines has been conceptualized by Coca-Cola (Japan) Company (hereafter "CCJC") as a VM model to be placed specifically in municipalities that are included in the nationwide Olympic torch relay route. As part of the program to uplift the spirit of the local communities where the Olympic torch relay is scheduled to take place, Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Inc. is currently in the process of deploying the Coca-Cola Olympic Torch Relay Memorial vending machines specifically in these selected municipalities.

The outer appearance of each Coca-Cola Olympic Torch Relay Memorial vending machines will feature an original wrapping that displays "the name of the municipality" and "the date" of the Olympic torch relay scheduled to take place in that municipality. By highlighting this set of information, this vending machine is designed to play an active role in notifying and reminding the local citizens and visitors from elsewhere when the torch will pass through the displayed municipality. This concept developed by CCJC has been widely accepted by local governments, and so far (as of the end of October 2019), a total of 135 Coca-Cola Olympic Torch Relay Memorial vending machines are already up and running.

This program has become possible because CCJC not only serves as Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay Presenting Partner but also plays a key role as the "Worldwide Olympic Partner" of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

In addition, it is the shared vision of the Coca-Cola system in Japan to make Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games a special event in Tokyo as well as a memorable experience for everyone across the country in 2020.

Coca-Cola system believes that Coca-Cola Olympic Torch Relay Memorial vending machines will not only drive the enthusiasm leading to Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, but also serve as a trigger for the people in the municipalities where they are installed to engage proactively in international exchange and sports.

Selecting Kashihara City, the host town for the national teams of Kazakhstan and Ukraine, as the collaborative partner

The plan to install Coca-Cola Olympic Torch Relay Memorial vending machines in Kashihara City was initiated by the registration of Kashihara City as the host town for the national teams of Kazakhstan and Ukraine participating in Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Since this registration, Kashihara City has been actively promoting the Olympic Movement including the community-oriented activities to encourage its citizens to participate in international exchange and viewed the plan to install Coca-Cola Olympic Torch Relay Memorial vending machines as another positive step to drive the movement further.