The Tokyo Metropolitan Government's waterworks bureau has set aside ¥1.87 billion in advertising expenses for its fiscal 2009 budget, part of which will go on publicizing the capital's campaign to host the 2016 Olympics, metro sources said Thursday.
The amount is double the bureau's fiscal 2008 budget and represents a threefold increase from its fiscal 2006 budget.
Soji Higashioka, head of the waterworks bureau, denied the ad budget was hiked to finance the publicity costs for vying for the summer Olympics against Chicago, Rio de Janeiro and Madrid.