Tokyo Governor Hits Out At 'Ridiculous' $400M 2020 Olympics' Bill

The Tokyo metropolitan government has "hit out at the 'ridiculous'" $400M bill it has been "asked to foot" for the main stadium at the 2020 Olympics, according to Patrick Johnston of REUTERS. Tokyo Governor Yoichi Masuzoe said, "It's out of order." Masuzoe said that he "thought the city would have to pay far more" than the 50B yen ($407.86M) estimate -- around a third of the overall cost for knocking down and rebuilding the facility -- that Sports Minister Hakubun Shimomura had quoted. Masuzoe was also "unhappy with some of the items on the bill that Shimomura produced" after a meeting with PM Shinzo Abe. Masuzoe: "We're asked to foot the bill for barrier-free design and air conditioning, but they are not going to be used solely for the Olympics. If it's about this ridiculous figure that's been submitted to the prime minister's office, then he shouldn't bother coming over for an explanation" (REUTERS, 5/26).