Cost cutting to see new Tokyo Olympic Stadium lose its roof

Japan's Sports Minister, Hakubun Shimomura, has called for the installation of temporary seating and for the installation of a retractable roof to be postponed atTokyo’s new National Stadium, the planned venue for the 2020 Olympic Games and Japan’s staging of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

The Kyodo News agency said Minister Shimomura’s proposals are part of the latest efforts to cut costs for Tokyo’s preparations for the summer Olympics. The Sports Minister was reported as having stated that he wanted around 35% of the seats at the 80,000-seat stadium to be temporary in a bid to shorten construction time at the Y170 billion (US$1.42 billion) venue.

In the latest round of moves to cut costs the 2020 Olympics, Minister Shimomura also called for the local government to contribute Y50 billion to the project, but Tokyo Governor Yoichi Masuzoe said local residents and the metropolitan assembly would first need to be convinced over such a use of funds.

Japanese broadcaster NHK added that Minister Shimomura told Masuzoe that the roof could be installed after the Olympics, with further details of a final estimate for the stadium construction cost due later this month.

However, Minister Shimomura’s proposal has infuriated Masuzoe, who blasted the government as “irresponsible” for making the demand.

According to the Nikkan Sports daily, Masuzoe stated “the figure being mentioned is around Y50bn (but) up until now there has been absolutely no communication about this. It is irresponsible because we have to think of the taxpayers.”

Masuzoe added “it’s irresponsible to keep repeating ‘we can build it.’ But that’s just like the Japanese Imperial Army during the war saying ‘we’re winning, we’re winning’ - when in fact we were losing.”

Demolition of the existing National Stadium, which was used during the city’s hosting of the 1964 Games, had been due to begin in July. The process was delayed by irregularities in the bid process and high construction costs, but was completed last week with construction work set to commence in October ahead of a targeted opening date of March 2019.

Designed by British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, the new 80,000-seat stadium is not only due to stage various athletics events during the 2020 Games, but also the opening match and final of Japan’s hosting of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

However, the new venue has been criticised by some leading architects over its expensive design.

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