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 If Ichiro Kono, head of the Japan Sport Center (JSC), is replaced he
would be the second official to lose his job over what has become an
embarrassment for the government.
Kimito Kubo, a 58-year-old official in the sports ministry who
headed a division overseeing construction of the stadium, would
resign for personal reasons, the ministry said earlier on Tuesday.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe decided earlier this month to go
"back to zero" on the new stadium after estimated construction costs
almost doubled to $2.1 billion due to a lax selection process.
Once Japan settles on a new plan, there will still be time to finish
it before the Olympics, but the delay will leave several important
matches for the 2019 Rugby World Cup without a venue.
Taro Kono, a ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmaker who is
leading an investigation into the debacle, said on Thursday records
show that over six meetings the JSC did not once discuss estimated
construction costs.
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The LDP's Kono, who is not related to the head of the JSC, also said
the head of the sports association should be replaced.
Japan won the bid to host the Games in 2013 largely on its
reputation for building and managing infrastructure, but failure to
confirm how much the new stadium would actually cost has sparked
public outrage and tarnished the government's reputation.
(Reporting by Takashi Umekawa; Writing by Stanley White; editing by
Amlan Chakraborty)
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