Tokyo leader pledges to ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’
TOKYO: Tokyo’s first female leader says that she will use her platform to host a cost-efficient and environmentally friendly 2020 Olympics and push a women’s rights agenda that she hopes will be a model for Japan’s central government.
Yuriko Koike, elected Tokyo governor in a sweeping victory last month, said in an interview that “reduce, reuse and recycle’’ of waste and temporary facilities will be her slogan for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games. The estimated cost of hosting the Olympics has spiralled.
Because Japan is prone to earthquakes, buildings, even temporary facilities, have to be quake-resistant, causing Olympic costs to exceed budget estimates, she said.
“We should focus more on sustainability and credibility in planning the Olympics,’’ Koike told The Associated Press, adding that she will use her expertise as a former environment minister. “The triple-R of reduce, reuse and recycle perfectly fits the global sustainability and waste management... I will make use of the idea for cost cutting.’’
She said there is a Japanese word for it — “mottainai,’’ meaning “what a waste.’’ For instance, Koike said, the idea is demonstrated in the Japanese Shinto tradition of rebuilding the holiest shrine of Ise every 20 years, in which some old materials are reused.
Preparations are underway for the 2020 Olympics. Construction of the main stadium is slated to start toward the end of this year. Japan’s capital also hosted the Summer Olympics in 1964.
Koike has pledged to examine the spiralling costs to avoid saddling taxpayers with debt.
A veteran national lawmaker who has held top Cabinet posts, Koike said she aims to achieve women’s advancement, diversity and policies such as animal rights that go further than those of the central government.