Japan Press Weekly

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2015 December 2 - 8 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

JCP in Metropolitan Assembly criticizes Tokyo’s sharing of construction costs for new national stadium

Japanese Communist Party Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Members’ Group Secretary General Oyama Tomoko on December 1 issued a statement about an agreement to shoulder part of the construction costs for a new national stadium that the metropolitan government made with the central government. Oyama said that Tokyoites cannot be expected to consent to the agreement.

Regarding the cost of building a new national stadium which will be the main venue for the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, Tokyo Governor Masuzoe Yoichi and Olympic Minister Endo Toshiaki earlier on the same day agreed that the metropolis will pay a quarter, or 39.5 billion yen, of the 158.1 billion yen construction cost.

JCP Oyama in the statement pointed out that Tokyo’s share will include other construction-related spending and will increase to about 45 billion yen. She went on to say that it is highly probable that the amount of the share will increase due to rising costs associated with the planned consumption tax increase.

Oyama noted that the Tokyo government already allocated about 245 billion yen in taxpayer money to preparing other Olympic venues. The additional spending for the new national stadium could lead to a budget cut in various fields such as welfare services. It also could bring about a rise in poverty, social inequality, and Tokyo citizens’ financial burdens.

Citing the IOC’s Olympic “Agenda 2020” which calls on host cities to make efforts to reduce construction cost, Oyama said that the JCP will urge the metropolitan government to cancel its agreement on sharing the construction costs for the national athletic stadium.

Past related articles:
> Lack of concern with costs causes ballooning of construction costs of Olympic stadium: third party panel [September 28, 2015]
> Revised Olympic stadium with 155 billion yen price tag still costly [August 29, 2015]