The central government said Monday it expects the overall cost of building the new National Stadium to reach ¥252 billion, some ¥90 billion more than the initial projection.
Construction of the main venue for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games is slated to begin in October, while the completion target is now May 2019, two months later than previously planned, sports minister Hakubun Shimomura told a meeting of officials in charge of preparing for the Olympics.
The soaring cost and an ongoing review of the stadium's ultramodern design have given rise to speculation that the project may not be finished in time for the Rugby World Cup, which Japan will host in fall 2019.