New Olympics minister faces host of thorny issues

Tokyo wanted it, cities are awarded it, Tokyo should pay the lions share of it.

Toshiaki Endo, 65

Yeah, here's where I give up reading any further....

they need to decide things quickly

m'kay

A poisoned chalice for the young whippersnapper.

Is this old dudes is going to be the fall guy, when it all goes pear shaped ?

Oldies in government a failure. I work in the education system and it looks just as much a mess as the stadium too.

And everyone else is forced to retire at age 60 and if lucky, hired back on that special contract for "We might be able to use you a bit more, but you will get a 35% basic pay deduction and lose your benefits!"

How much money is this guy being paid?

Oh yeah, he played Rugby...so that is why.

Taking the post is Toshiaki Endo, 65, a lawmaker of 22 years who has worked on sports policy, been a senior vice minister in the Education Ministry and played rugby union.

Time for him to retire, isn't it?

Typical LDP cronyism and more waste of the taxpayers money.

I don't think it's right to be ageist about Endo-san. I'm 60, and retired 15 years ago. If I was asked to return to the limelight in order to accomplish a difficult task, I'd take it on, get it done, then retire again. Today's 60 or 65 is not the same as our fathers'.

Bwahahaha! Step up to the chopping block sir and place your head here! - I can't understand why anybody would voluntarily take this position. There has already been so many scandals of venue changes and other deceptive covers used to obtain the games. And now, there is the huge budget blowout for the stadium. This guy must have really big ones to take on this job (or he is just really dumb). Does the sign on his office door say, 'Scapegoat'?

organisational prowess

Brown envelope? Amakudari?

What happened to appointing someone in his/her 40s, for goodness' sake? I thought 65 was the age of mandatory retirement, or at least it was for my female professor friend at Keio University. Advise, please.

“I think building something that would have made use of the old stadium, with modern functions, would have been good,”

Sheesh. How many times did I suggest this? What - don't they listen to non-Japanese JT posters? WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEM?!

Japan appointed its first Olympics minister on Thursday, naming a veteran politician to a cabinet post created just last month

LA had Peter Ueberroth, and Salt Lake City had Mitt Romney -- both highly successful businessmen. And, wait for it, Japan has a "veteran politician".

“The prime minister told me to keep in close contact with all the appropriate cabinet ministers, as well as the Tokyo government, and work hard,”

LOL. Great marching orders -- "keep in close contact" and "work hard". Japan truly is clueless when it comes to management.

Though Tokyo won the games largely due to its organisational prowess

And pray tell where is the organizational "prowess" with TEPCO? This is a bunch of horse-manure at best. Tokyo got it because of some belief in "omotenashi" BS and maybe some under the table dealing like FIFA!

“Having this problem emerge when the old stadium has already been demolished down to the ground is really a shame.”

Yeah, except that your buddies in the construction industry, which you have vested interests in, wouldn't make quite as much money off the tax-payers now, would they?

They wanted to show off Japanese prowess? they've done it; an inability to stick to promises, hiring LDP 'retirees' for amakudari jobs, giving heaps of extra money to construction crews likely after illegal bid-rigging, and attempts to fob off responsibility on everyone else while taking credit. They get a gold medal in all events.

The Chief Executive responsible to the organizing committee of the 2020 Olympic Games doesn't necessarily need to be overseen by an 'Olympics Minister'.

The CEO should have a proven track record and background in the private sector, in commercial/non-commercial organization to cultivate sponsor relationships. Build the brand.

Man this is all SO EMBARASSING!!! And COSTLY!!!!

Taking the post is Toshiaki Endo, 65, a lawmaker of 22 years who has worked on sports policy

What's that supposed to mean- sports policy?

Toshiaki Endo, 65 Yeah, here's where I give up reading any further....

Me too.

They better start building now ! ! I want some hotdogs and pretzels...

I thought Mori was the guy in charge of the Olympic committee. What's the difference between him and this Endo bloke?

Man this is all SO EMBARASSING!!! And COSTLY!!!!

If you are not Japanese why is it embarrassing to you? If you are Japanese why are you embarrassed, when you should be madder than hell that yours and my tax money is being played around with like this.

The whole "Olympics minister" is a joke, only in Abe's govt you can see this happening, but it is not yet over, I read that the Minister of toilets is about to come too.....

Moderator: Incorrect. An Olympics minister is quite common for countries that host the Games.

I still think in aggregate that if they let the "normal" economy resume (and ease up on Abenomics, the yen will appreciate by around 15% bringing down the costs of construction proportionately - materials, fuel, energy, and even labor if they allow contract workers from abroad... The yen has appreciated nearly 40% since Abenomics started. Last October, Kuroda weakened it even more! No wonder the tab keeps rising...