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Paralympics could help remake Tokyo's narrow roads, doorways

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike expects the 2020 Paralympics to make Japan's capital more accessible to people with disabilities.

Narrow roadways and doorways will be widened. More ramps and railing can be installed, and other physical changes can be made.

But she's also advocating for another type of "fix."

"Barrier-free facilities are by all means important, but I believe that a barrier-free mind is equally vital," Koike said in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, a day before she receives the Paralympic flag — and four weeks after she took possession of the Olympic flag.