The Japanese Olympic Committee on Tuesday "approved Aichi Prefecture and its capital Nagoya as joint candidate hosts for the 2026 Asian Games," according to KYODO. The JOC exec board "met in Tokyo and decided the two local governments will have to submit an official document attesting that they agree on the co-hosting before the Olympic Council of Asia meets later this month to select the host." Referring to Nagoya’s recent announcement that it was reconsidering its plans for the Asian Games, JOC Secretary General Eisuke Hiraoka said, "It’s regrettable things got confusing toward the end. It could become a matter of international trust. We hope they will positively proceed with the matter." Aichi and Nagoya said in May that "they will seek to jointly organize the Asian version of the Summer Olympics." Japan "has held the Asian Games twice previously, in Tokyo in 1958 and in Hiroshima in 1994." The prefectural government then indicated to Nagoya the total costs will come to roughly 85B yen ($820M), and after subtracting 25B yen ($243.5M) to be covered by sponsorships and other revenues, Aichi "would pay two-thirds and the city one-third of the remaining amount" (KYODO, 9/13).
