The Tokyo Metropolitan Government will suspend public works projects planned with subsidies from the central government if the state cuts off the funding, Gov. Shintaro Ishihara told a news conference Friday.
Citing the metro government's severe fiscal situation, Ishihara said Tokyo will have to tell the state that some of the planned projects will have to be put off without the subsidies.
While the central government plans to cut subsidies to local governments by a total of 1 trillion yen in fiscal 2004, it is not yet clear what specific projects will be affected by the subsidy cut, metro officials said.
The metropolitan government is currently compiling its own fiscal 2004 budget, including those for public works spending. The projects for which the metropolitan government counts on state subsidies include construction of roads, parks and maintenance of rivers and harbors, according to the officials.
In the current fiscal year to March, 41 percent of the metro public works projects are being implemented with subsidies from the central government.