sports

Olympic stadium to cost Y252 bil, sports minister says

55 Comments

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© 2015 AFP

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

55 Comments
Login to comment

Make that 300 billion yen!

4 ( +4 / -0 )

I wager it will be over 400 blllion at the end. Meanwhile the silent death syndrome in the forgotten refugee camps in Tokyo will be forgotten as the construction fat cats get richer.

12 ( +14 / -2 )

Tohoku, sorry!

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Should have been built up in the still devastated region from the quaker and tsunami. But then again, who cares about those people. . .say the bureaucrats.

So 15,000 seats will be tossed later? Why? I hope they are using Captain Stag chairs. Only ¥700 each.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

NHK said they're going to ask for "donations" from the private sector. How pathetic is that?

6 ( +7 / -1 )

"Good value for money. We'll have one in every major city - except Naha, of course!"

S. Abe

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Just another one of the lies that Abe and the Olympic committee used to secure the games. I shudder to think about the people congestion around an 80,000 seat stadium in the center of Tokyo. The current infrastructure swells to capacity at present. What's gonna happen when the games start?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Anyone want to take a bid that it will cost more than 252 billion yen when it gets completed in 2020?

lol

3 ( +3 / -0 )

What is the final cost with roof on. It is happily not mentioned and I bet you the builders are not giving any discounts on putting the roof on. I expect the cost to be hiked up. Poor government decision making and brief. They have not done their home work despite going on junket trips to see other venues I assume. Did they not do any cost analysis before hand or get pre-tender input. Failure is written all over it.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

So from 160 billion yen to 252 is a near 60% cost increase (so far), but with 15,000 fewer seats it's also a 20%+ decrease in size. That's worse than the change in chocolate price I read yesterday!

3 ( +4 / -1 )

The Olympic Games, where the wealthy get richer and the common man foots the bill in the name of brotherhood.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Hahahaha,

yours truly, the construction companies

5 ( +6 / -1 )

SCAM

1 ( +2 / -1 )

It is pointless for the pundits to keep flapping their traps. The Japanese government, and by default, the Japanese, have approved of spending upwards of 300 billion yen in a one night fantasy. By the same token, Japan and it's voters have given tacit approval to abandoning the survivors of Fukushima. Out of site, out of mind.

Q-tip, Robert Glasper, and Marcus Miller played in NYC and the venue and all costs for the tickets was of considerable value, and was distributed to victims even before the J-government had any idea what was happening.

So, are any of you really surprised that the government will build for looks at the expense of the needy? Wake up.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

As others have suggested - the cost of ¥250bil is just a chalkboard figure to be erased numerous times.

This is one of those classic "Put this on your Fridge" moments and have a chuckle or two over the next 5 years.

And the excuses for the cost will continue to play to the strains of weeping strings.

Already the reasons have included - "the arches are too expensive"(original design plan accepted by all) to "the rise in price of materials"(Abenomics ? - but steel & concrete is cheap now) to "the contractors are too greedy".

I await for more.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Government at work. Government projects always end up going way over budget, and are never done on time. This is because the government does not have to answer for the cost overruns or delays, and cost overruns and delays increase opportunities for graft. The cost as of today is 252 billion yen, it will be much higher before the stadium is finished.

If this weren't a taxpayer-funded stadium, but a commercial skyscraper built by a private company for use by private companies, it would be completed on the contracted time at the contracted cost.

The incredibly high cost of government construction problems is the main reason why infrastructure in places like America is crumbling. When a highway project cost up to ten times the original estimate, and take three to five times longer to complete, they simply cannot be afforded. On the other hand, if all the fluff, kickback, and other graft-related costs were subtracted, these projects could easily be finished more cheaply and more quickly.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Thank goodness we're all paying higher taxes, amirite?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

What a colossal waste of money. I could cry. It could be used to help solve thousands of problems in thousands of ways.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

to put the costs in perspective of Olympic stadiums:

Rio: 200 mil USD London: 500 mil pounds Beijing: 500 mil USD

why the heck is tokyo building such an expensive stadium? it boggles the mind.

and i love that 10% will by privately financed to "lessen the burden on taxpayers." thanks a lot hakubun et al.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

NHK said they're going to ask for "donations" from the private sector.

I'm already "donating" through taxes, raised twice in recent years.

Time to take this Olympics out in the yard and Old Yeller it.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Corruption. Plain and simple. The exact same thing happened at the London Olympics: various additional "consultation fees" padded the cost of construction work. (By "consultation fees", I mean, bribes, bungs, and kickbacks to various government corporate donors)

3 ( +4 / -1 )

This stadium will be a glorious symbol of Japan for the future generations to come! For all you talking about the price, can you really put a price on such a proud symbol of this nation AND the legacy of our elected prime minstrel?

Those affected by the Tsunami are welling up in tears of pride and joy that their long suffering has led to the creation of what will surely be a timeless landmark!

From Understanding Comes Knowledge! Always Be Expanding!!!

10 ( +12 / -2 )

I think the high construction costs will fade from the spotlight when athletes start dying. The Olympics will be held between July 24 - Aug 9. That's around when the temperature hits 36-38 deg C.

This is an insane time to hold a major sporting event. Just think athletes coming in from colder countries who are not prepared to compete outside in temperatures that will be borderline 40 degs if not hotter. And the people who placed the bid for Tokyo mist have known this.  The outdoor events won't be a display of peak performance, more like survival skills.

Incompetence and negligence at its finest. 

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Pure Abenomics at work here... That's all! Figure it out; when the Olympics were awarded the yen was 80 to a dollar.

When the design was awarded it was 100 to the euro.

Today, it is at 140 to the euro and 123 to the dollar.

It doesn't take a genius to calculate that the raw material, energy and all other imported items for construction and fitting out are being paid for by deflated Japanese yen.

Thank you Mssrs. Kuroda and Abe! The consolation is that at these exchange rates, foreign tourists may still come to offer alms to us beggars here...

0 ( +2 / -2 )

crustpunker, I'm getting misty eyed just reading your inspiring words!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

crustpunker is legit a treasure of JT. Bravo my man!

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Well, he should resign immediately!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

jcjapan - me too. crusty's heartening words were certainly sniffle inducing.

O-Olympics - embolden be thy name.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

From Understanding Comes Knowledge! Always Be Expanding!!!

Initially, I liked this comment...

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Of course, when these things change, the government could just agree to the cost hikes and award the build to other construction companies, but in the end, they all have their hands in the cookie jar, snouts in the trough...sigh...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I'd like to see a breakdown of the costs to see clearly where the increases have occurred. Crooked politicians simply say "labour and material costs have soared", but I don't see many construction workers driving around in luxury cars and the government's own labour survey doesn't show a huge increase in construction worker salaries. Material costs may have increased, but to nothing like the extent suggested by the rise in the cost of the stadium.

The real reason for the rise in costs is the need to pay gangsters. Of course, those gangsters also make donations to certain politicians who cannot be named here.

As for the stadium being a legacy: after the games it will be mothballed and rarely, if ever, used again whilst it falls to pieces. Just like so many other stadia in Japan.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

wow. Hope you get the rolling in piles of cash glass room option for the ground floor. For the kids

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Folks remember the original budget was 130billion!

And yeah we done by a LONG SHOT!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Resign all of them

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I just don't get it. What exactly is the "taxpayer" going to get from this?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

500 billion yen!

1 ( +2 / -1 )

“We hope to raise around 20 billion yen with help from the private sector to keep the national taxpayers’ burden in check.”

Wow, thank god for this man's kindness and benevolence! It's now only an additional 70 billion on top of the 150 + billion the tax payer needs to pay despite promises that it would be a cheap and compact games!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

As a pinko Guardianista I'm usually pretty relaxed about paying taxes, but this is annoying in that the games were awarded to Tokyo, not Japan. Fukuoka lost out.

So Tokyo should pay.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I'll just say here that I hate the way they keep tacking on mentions of the Paraolympics as extra justification for this charade.

While its great for people with disabilities to play sports, I'm sure what they will need, even more than the non-disabled, is facilities and assistance. Not some "dream" provided by privileged competitors in half empty (for the Paraolympics) white elephant stadia once every four years. This assumes of course that people with disabilities do not already have greater needs regarding social and economic opportunities and general acceptance in their everyday lives.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Hakubun Shimomura confirmed that the price tag represented a 90 billion yen hike since the futuristic design by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid was chosen in 2012.

And the "Circle of Life" just continues on in Japan. The LDP-led government takes the public's hard-earned money and spends it on hugely expensive construction projects, which result in the construction companies turning around and lining the pockets of the politicians. So sad such a wonderful culture has become reduced to this.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Wow, thank god for this man's kindness and benevolence! It's now only an additional 70 billion on top of the 150 + billion the tax payer needs to pay despite promises that it would be a cheap and compact games!

Considering that new construction will only take up about 30% of total venues for the games, this Olympics may very well be among the cheapest in the last few decades. Even with the inflated price for the new main stadium.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

You wanted it Tokyo, you can darn well pay for it.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Sooo there won't be roof on a stadium that will likely cost around 4 billion USD!? and people will be sitting in there all day, exposed to direct sunlight at the height of summer in Tokyo.....great work, well thought out lads, I couldn't have planned it any better myself!!!!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Sooo there won't be roof on a stadium that will likely cost around 4 billion USD!? and people will be sitting in there all day, exposed to direct sunlight at the height of summer in Tokyo.....great work, well thought out lads, I couldn't have planned it any better myself!!!!

Wasn't a problem in 1964

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

and people will be sitting in there all day, exposed to direct sunlight at the height of summer in Tokyo.....

You all know that the Tkyo "Summer" Olympics of 1964 took place in the middle of October I hope.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I wonder what the kick back is on a job this size?

One percent wouldn't be bad.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Maybe they can get a loan from China.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Why wasn't one of the cheaper and far superior designs proposed by Japanese architects selected in the first place? Hadid has a long history of overpriced, and arguably low value, designs. Hadid has a history of designing overpriced junk. A Japanese architect is more likely to design a building that's quake resistant and would more likely take responsibility for flaws.

But to put things back in perspective, this is just the Olympics, a multi-billion $$$ economic debacle for any country that's stuck with it.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@RolandRackham: She won a competition, it was chosen by Japanese committee

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@sf2k: She didn't win a competition. That would mean she had the best design. Yes, I Japanese committee selected her design. So what? Are you saying they were incapable of making a bone-headed politically motivated choice just because they're Japanese?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Huh? Yeah clearly because i didn't write those words, that's what I meant. Or maybe it meant that I went shopping at 5:32pm right? Isn't that obvious?

Meanwhile, Zaha Hadid Architects beat out 45 other competitors and was selected by a panel of Japanese experts chaired by Japanese architect Tadao Ando. That's it. Those are the only words I'm using.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

sf2k - you're right.

And it has now become openly obvious that the original Tokyo Olympic plan was an idea of virtual reality designed to attract the deciding votes, but could never be realized within the time and monetary constraints of real time / life.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Consider this idea, a solar ring. "The Land of the Rising Sun" Project. See this Facebook page for the proposal.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tokyo2020-Olympic-Stadium/381935252005134

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites