Tokyo fails to explain its wasteful use of tax money for its bid to host Olympics

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Tokyo fails to explain its wasteful use of tax money for its bid to host Olympics

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government failed to disclose in detail how it used the vast amount of taxpayers’ money in its bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games in its report published on February 24.

According to the report compiled by the Tokyo 2016 Olympic Bid Committee, which Governor Ishihara Shintaro chairs, 447 million yen was spent on the occasion of the International Olympic Committee representatives’ visit to Tokyo. Although the metropolitan government used 16 million yen for a rehearsal of a formal dinner inviting the IOC members, the dinner was actually hosted by the national government. 500 million yen was used to make a 10-minute presentation movie for the IOC meeting in October last year.

The report illustrates the committee’s cozy relations with major advertising agency Dentsu as the JCP has been criticizing all along. It gave the company contracts amounting to 6.7 billion yen, 45 percent of the total expenditures (14.8 billion yen). Among 4.7 billion out of the 6.7 billion yen paid for the works ordered by the metropolitan government, more than 90 percent was based on open contracts with Dentsu.

It has been revealed by JCP Metropolitan Assembly members that in addition to the 14.8 billion yen, the Tokyo government had spent 5 billion yen for the governor’s luxurious overseas trips as well as sponsorship for sports events. This amount was not mentioned in the latest report.

The committee has so far collected 4.1 billion yen out of donations and borrowed 690 million yen from Dentsu to cover the 5 billion yen. At a press conference, in response to committee members who stated that it will continue to call for donations, many reporters asked what the metropolitan government intends to do if it cannot receive enough donations.

The major reason for Tokyo’s losing in the bid to host the Olympics was Governor Ishihara’s decision to join the bid with only 56 percent of residents’ support, the lowest rate among the four candidate cities. The committee must respond to residents’ call for disclosing details of how their money was used.

- Akahata, February 26, 2010