Japan Football Association president Junji Ogura said Thursday that Japan's bid for the 2022 World Cup will not be affected by an alleged bribery scandal involving two FIFA executive committee members who have been given provisional suspensions.
"We have no choice but to present our proposal of the next generation of the World Cup," said Ogura, who is chief of the Japanese bidding committee.
Japan is aiming to host the 2022 World Cup with an emphasis on leading-edge technologies as part of its bid.
"If there is evidence (of the bribery scandal) then they have to be punished," said Ogura, referring to the corruption scandal being investigated by soccer's world governing body FIFA.
FIFA has begun a formal ethics probe into allegations that two executive members offered to sell votes in the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Ogura said he has received notice from the two executive members claiming their innocence.
The World Cups for 2018 and 2022 will be decided in a vote by 24 FIFA executives on Dec. 2.