Prefectural and municipal governments that will host events for the 2020 Olympics "jointly warned the organizing committee and the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly on Monday not to shift policy and force them to shoulder some of the costs of constructing facilities," according to KYODO. Leaders of 10 governments submitted a letter to 2020 Olympics Organizing Committee President Yoshiro Mori and Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike. The letter calls for a "reaffirmation of the policy," adopted in '13 during the bidding for the games, that "the committee will cover expenditures for the construction of temporary facilities." The letter said, "There is a growing sense of unease among municipality organizations." The organizing committee said last week that total costs for the games are estimated between 1.6T yen ($13.6B) and 1.8T yen ($15.3B). Kanagawa Governor Yuji Kuroiwa said, "We believe that the policy adopted when bidding for the Games remains unchanged." Koike responded by saying, "We will carefully consider what we can do about this matter" (KYODO, 12/26). In Tokyo, Daisuke Kikuchi reported the Internal Affairs & Communications Ministry announced "a finalized plan to establish 30,000 Wi-Fi access points nationwide in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics." The ministry said in '15 that its major objective is "to provide connectivity to victims of potential disasters and to tourists." It planned to install Wi-Fi in public facilities such as schools, government buildings, museums and cultural heritage sites, including historical ruins. A ministry official in charge of local internet access, Go Katsuhata, said, "A total of 14,000 facilities are done, and there are 16,000 more” still to be equipped with Wi-Fi networks. All "except those in some locations, such as schools, will be free to use by the general public" (JAPAN TIMES, 12/26).
