There are reports that Japan’s hopes of hosting the 2020 Summer Olympic Games look dismal since Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba, who was initially “energetic” about the city hosting the Olympic Games, has announced plans to step down when his term expires in April.
Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, who is considering another bid for Tokyo after its failed 2016 bid, hasn’t said whether he will run for another term.
A joint bid from Hiroshima and Nagasaki started in September 2008 when Akiba said, “the Olympics are the only global festival that can celebrate the realization of a nuclear-free world” and wanted the Olympics for the only two cities to have suffered atomic bombings.
But the joint bid hit a roadblock as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said its rules prohibit the co-hosting of any Olympics.
In September 2010 Akiba announced a basic plan that eliminated building new stadiums or transport infrastructure due to Hiroshima’s tight budget but there was opposition to his “unrealistic” plan to fund almost 100 billion yen of more than 400 billon yen in costs by collecting donations from around the world.
The Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) is now focusing on Tokyo and seems prepared to present Tokyo as a prime candidate to IOC officials.
There is reportedly a Plan B within the JOC to allow Tokyo to host most of the Games and have Hiroshima co-host some competitions, but it appears Tokyo is less than enthusiastic. Governor Ishihara said it would be difficult for Tokyo to successfully win a bid even if it tried again. He said last month on TV Asahi, “I would like to try it. But it’s not possible considering Japan’s attitude. We can’t make an all-out effort (if) citizens have no strong interest on this matter”.
Meanwhile, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has appointed a head of the Olympic bid within its Bureau of Sports. A senior official at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government said, “we want to be prepared to respond in case the next governor decides to take on the challenge again”.
