Tokyo declares bid for 2020 Summer Olympics

“There is no point in bidding if you don’t win,” said Ishihara

ok then Tokyo should share with other bidders.

.

As I said the other day, so shall I say again. The one major positive that could come from Japan winning is that it will give Ishihara the chance to watch Chinese and USAmerican athletes winning hundreds of medals in his own back yard.

Ishihara: “The Tokyo metropolitan government will give blood, sweat and tears to provide money and facilities.”

Thanks for making that decision for me, Mr. Governor. How many necessary public works will suffer because of this?

Makes me very happy to be living in Kyushu. Poor Tokyoites.

Here we go again.....but this time plugging the sympathy vote

*“The Tokyo metropolitan government will give blood, sweat and tears to provide money and facilities.”

Uhm, no. The Tokyo TAXPAYER (That's me) will provide money for this irrational and doomed farce. The Tokyo Metropolitan Govt. is only diverting that money away from other, more useful expenditures.

BTW, wasn't Tokyo's 2016 bid based on the idea that it would be a very compact games with all the facilities close to one another? Now we are going to have football up to 200km away? More tax funds down the black hole that is Ishi's creative thought process...*

Uhm, no. The Tokyo TAXPAYER (That's me) will provide money for this irrational and doomed farce. The Tokyo Metropolitan Govt. is only diverting that money away from other, more useful expenditures.

Exactly ! ! !

shakes Graham's hand

Oh dear, there go my taxes.

Another one of Shintaro's foot-in-mouth comments.

Remember, you fool.... It's people like me who pay taxes that ultimately pay your ridiculously high salary that go with your even more ridiculous statements and decisions!

It's the hard-working people of Tokyo who give blood, sweat and tears, not you 9 to 5 bureaucrats!

When have you ever bled, sweated or cried???? Don't make me laugh!!! You're better at making me cry!

Now lets watch the Japanese pity-party go into overdrive!

There is no point in bidding if you don’t win

What a strange thing to say (or would that be a bad translation). You don't know if you'll win or not until some time after the bid!

This mad dog has to realize that Tokyo's money is NOT his money.

It's a sham. Generate interest and funds, not get the Olympics and then steer those same funds somewhere else. Clever ploy by Ishihara knowing Japan is in dire straits and this will only garner attention for Japan and Tokyo - the world's greatest capital.

They'll still be cleaning up Fukushima in 2020, not exactly recovered from the earthquake and tsunami, and Hiroshima will probably still have debts from the 1994 Asian games...

So now another tens of millions that could have gone into disaster relief will be wasted on a lost bid, and Ishihara, if still alive and governor, will make racist remarks and claim the word spits in the face of the March 11th disasters.

What a waste of money... and when Japan is in so much trouble as it is.

So now another tens of millions that could have gone.....

Which currency were you thinking?

Well Ishihara said he was going to do this and Tokyo reelected him anyway.

Between the 2018 Winter Olympics already being held in Korea, and the recent food scares in Tokyo involving contamination by cesium with a half life of 25 years, this is a pre-doomed exercise in vanity by the governor.

wrong time! wrong wrong wrong... now their entire campaign seems to be based on sympathy... if the IOC are smart they would not give it to Tokyo and say "please keep your money for the homeless"

No one wants this, I dont know anyone in Japan that would support this.... it seems like a distraction to the real problems in Japan.... I'm too busy with the Olymics to worry about the radioactive foods and fish throughout Japan.

gogogo - if the IOC was concerned about Urban poverty, I doubt Rio could have won the right to host 2016.

To his credit, Ishihara was open about wanting to rebid, and Tokyo put him in by a landslide, so he's got all the mandate in the world he needs to engage in this very very bad idea.

“Today, Japan is recovering from the tsunami and earthquake and we want to have the 2020 Olympics as a symbol of the recovery,” said Takeda.

The alternative quote would be:

"Today, Japan is recovering from the tsunami and earthquake and we want to plunge the country into even more debt by bidding for the 2020 Olympics at the behest of a blinking old fool with no legacy to date."

And of course by encouraging Japan to bid, the Olympics committee get to come on many more freebies to Japan over the years to conduct meetings and inspect the stadia and do whatever they've got to do. Who'd turn down a job like that?

I'm still waiting for Ishihara to make good on his promise to account for where every yen of his last failed bid went. Ten billion yen of our taxes went up the spout - including 500 million on a 10-minute promo video.

Where did that money go, Mr. Ishihara? Where did it go?

While Japan is in bidding game, these politicians have a regiment reason to use your tax money for wine, dine and taking bribe money from business community, no?

How Tokyo has recovered? Does he mean that all of the Pachinko parlor lights will be turned on by then? ...

I think Fukushima should bid.

no no no no no no no no. anyone who decides not to pay tax this year is excused.

How eager they are to waste more of our tax money! I so hope they lose this "bid".

Riding on the sympathy vote !!!!!! Ishihara will ride the waves for 20 years.

It`s 2011, if Tokyo will get hit with a super earthquake all the money will be lost. Ishihara is taking a serious gamble.

Building a football stadium in the quake hit area ?????? How are they going to power the stadium ???? Since Japan will cut down mostly all the nuclear reactors ??????

Gogogo Tokyo Olympics 2020! It would be fantastic to have the Olympics in Japan!

Haters 'gonna hate!

Tired old Willy can't shake off the past, we, people, the young, fight for the FUTURE! Go Japan.

WillyB>

How eager they are to waste more of our tax money! I so hope they lose this "bid".

Too late... The bid itself means wasting lots and lots and lots of our money. Ask Ian Duncan: Ian Duncan>

I'm still waiting for Ishihara to make good on his promise to account for where every yen of his last failed bid went. Ten billion yen of our taxes went up the spout - including 500 million on a 10-minute promo video.

Well Ishihara said he was going to do this and Tokyo reelected him anyway.

Ishihara did not appoint himself as governor. It was the people who elected him and have largely themselves to blame for everything this man comes up with. Unfortunately not only the Tokyoites will foot the bill, but probably the whole nation.

Didn't Ishihara comment the Tohoku earthquake/tsunami was "Tembatsu" or divine punishment for the Japanese people's "egoism" but now he wants the 2020 Olympics so Japan get over the quake/tsumani? What an absolute jackass... I live not far from Komazawa Park. Let me tell you folks, before the last Olympic bid they spent millions of dollars to "repolish the stones which cover the large open area in the park." This was purely cosmetic and didn't do ANYTHING to fix the sadly crumbling facilities. This week, we are getting temperatures in the mid 30s and up until this year, I always looked forward to taking my youngest son to the 50m Olympic pool to beat the heat and get some swimming in. Well, this year for the first time, the park closed the pool saying it was too old. How ironic is that. I think if Ishihara had any common sense, he would retract the bid, noting that there are much greater fiscal priorities in Japan such as the reconstruction of the whole N.E. coast of Japan.

Did they not get the memo that because South Korea got the Winter Olympics that it will hurt Tokyo's chances, not to mention the committee will remember Ishihara's comments about 2016 decision, so I would put money on that Tokyo's chances of getting the games are worse than a snowball's chance in hell.

Ishihara blames Tokyo 2016 failure on behind-the-scenes deals http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/ishihara-blames-tokyo-2016-failure-on-behind-the-scenes-deals

INTERNATIONAL Olympic Committee vice-president Chiharu Igaya has apologised for governor of Tokyo Shintaro Ishihara's comments after Rio were awarded the 2016 Summer Olympics. http://www.morethanthegames.co.uk/121st-ioc-session/086565-igaya-apologies-rio-officials-and-ioc-over-ishiharas-comments