New Tokyo Governor Pledges Olympic Cost Probe

TOKYO, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Augst,2016) - Tokyo's new governor on Tuesday promised a formal review of the megacity's problem-plagued preparations for the 2020 Olympics as concerns grow over soaring costs. Yuriko Koike, elected Sunday as the Japanese capital's first female governor, said a special panel would review whether Tokyo tax money has been and will be used appropriately. The 64-year-old political veteran reported for her first official day of work and held a press conference at which she announced the formation of a special team to assess where things stand.

"Budgeting, preparation, and the validity of the road map (to 2020) will be up for a fresh review by third-party individuals," Koike said, adding that an interim report would be released as early as next month.

"What is most important in Tokyo politics is transparency," Koike said, hammering home a point she made immediately after claiming victory Sunday night. The 2020 Games, awarded to Tokyo in 2013, have been marred by a series of embarrassing setbacks over stadium construction and the official logo. But a key concern ahead of the election was the estimated cost of hosting the event, seen as possibly doubling or even tripling from the reported original forecast of 730 billion Yen ($7.14 billion). Officials from the central government, Tokyo and the Olympic organising committee have also publicly clashed over sharing the cost of a new national stadium under construction for the Games.