The government intends to set up a panel to examine an upcoming plan for the new Olympics stadium to ensure proper procedure by a third party after it came under heavy fire for its management of the previous plan it had to scrap in a last-minute decision, a government official said Saturday.
The panel will comprise academic experts in the architecture sector to study the feasibility of the costs and technology for the new main venue for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe recently decided to start over in the design plan for the new National Stadium after public criticism grew over its cost that nearly doubled from the initially projected ¥130 billion.
Six panel members will be appointed, including Seiichi Fukao, professor emeritus at Tokyo Metropolitan University who has headed an advisory panel for the construction ministry.
The experts will negotiate on the costs of the new stadium with contractors and scrutinize whether total expenses come in under budget, according to the official.
The government aims to compile a plan for the new National Stadium by the end of this month.
It plans to select the design through screening by the panel and place an order for the construction by January as it seeks to complete it in April 2020.
The government has no plans to allow the new stadium to be used for concerts and the new structure will not have a retractable roof.