July 27, 2015
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2015 July 22 - 28 [SOCIAL ISSUES]
Ex-PM Mori is not qualified to organize 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics |
Mori Yoshiro, head of the Tokyo Organizing Committee of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, said this at the Japan National Press Club on July 22. The former prime minister, who had played a key role in developing the national stadium’s construction project, is vehemently denying his responsibility for the project.
Japan Sport Council (JSC), an organization affiliated with the sports ministry, approved on July 7 the plan to build the athletic stadium which will cost 252 billion yen in total. Mori referred to the construction cost as “extremely reasonable”, even though it is about five times the cost of the main stadiums used in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Summer Games.
On July 17, Prime Minister Abe Shinzo abruptly announced that his government will review the construction project “from scratch”. This is a result of mounting public criticism against the huge escalation in cost for the construction as well as the governing coalition’s forced passage of the war-related bills through the Lower House.
In actuality, the sports ministry had considered reviewing the building project thoroughly. In late June, Sports Minister Shimomura Hakubun told Mori about a plan to change the original design of the stadium featuring two gigantic keel arches for its retractable roof. Mori objected violently to Shimomura’s proposal.
Mori gave two reasons for his objection: if the original plan is changed, the architect who designed the new facility may sue Japan’s authorities for a breach of contract; and a change of the design would lead to breaking an international commitment because Japan’s government succeeded in bringing the Olympics to Tokyo thanks to the stadium’s unique design. Pressed by these tenuous arguments, Minister Shimomura gave up his proposal to redesign the facility at that time.
As president of the Japan Rugby Football Union, Mori had also led the campaign to invite the 2019 Rugby World Cup to Japan. After the IOC designated Tokyo as the venue to host the 2020 Summer Games, he pressured the relevant organs to use the planned Olympic stadium as the main venue for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
The series of irresponsible remarks made by Mori clearly show that he is totally unfit to head the committee to organize the international sports event.
The Abe administration is going to draw up an alternative plan for the construction of the national stadium. If the government leaves the nature of the organizing committee and other authorities as it is, the new project may again betray the public trust.
Past related article:
> PM Abe gives up costly Olympic stadium construction plan [July 18, 2015]
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