Japanese PM Shinzo Abe and Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike agreed Tuesday to "work together to ensure the success of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, eschewing for now talks on how the financial burden should be shared," according to KYODO. Koike said after meeting with Abe in the PM’s Office that the metropolitan government and the central government "did not hold any working-level discussions Tuesday on topics such as the budget for the games." The 2020 organizing committee last month "presented its first draft of the total cost" -- set at between 1.6T yen ($13.8B) and 1.8T yen ($15.5B). The key "outstanding issue" is the division of construction costs for temporary facilities, which at the time of the bidding process "were to be completely covered by the organizers using such revenue as sponsorship income." The organizers are proposing that "some of that cost be taken up by the central government, the Tokyo metropolis and municipalities that will host events." But municipalities outside Tokyo "expressed reluctance to pay" (KYODO, 1/10).
