Japan
chief questioned over Tokyo bid payment: report
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[February 08, 2017]
TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo
prosecutors have questioned the president of the Japan Olympic
Committee over controversial payments made to a Singaporean
consulting firm during the bidding for the 2020 Summer Games, Kyodo
News agency reported on Wednesday.
The questioning of Tsunekazu Takeda, who led the successful bid, and
several other people involved in the bidding, was voluntary and
carried out at the request of the French authorities, Kyodo said.
Takeda and the others denied doing anything illegal, the report
said.
The Tokyo prosecutors' office and the JOC declined to comment on the
report when contacted by Reuters.
French prosecutors last year announced an investigation into more
than $2 million of payments made by the bid committee to the
consultancy, Black Tidings.
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Black Tidings is headed by Ian Tan Tong Hon, who is known to be
friends with Papa Massata Diack, son of disgraced former
international athletics chief Lamine Diack.
Japanese officials repeatedly said the payments had been legitimate
consultant's fees, and a panel commissioned by the JOC said in
September it had found that the payment was legitimate.
Tokyo 2020 organizers have been grappling with a list of headaches
including soaring costs and calls to change venues.
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![](../images/020817pics/sports53.jpg)
Japan Olympic Committee President Tsunekazu Takeda speaks during a
news conference in support of the Tokyo 2020 summer Olympics
candidacy in Buenos Aires September 4, 2013. REUTERS/Marcos
Brindicci
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The country club that will host the golf tournaments has come under
fire for its policy of barring women from becoming full members, and
a trade show group is calling on Tokyo to find a new location for
the international media center.
(Reporting by Chris Gallagher; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)
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