A Tokyo metropolitan government panel reviewing costly Olympic venues has proposed downgrading the expensive rowing and canoeing site for the Tokyo Games to temporary quality, or moving the events to an existing site in northern Japan.
The city-commissioned panel of outside experts, in a report submitted to Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike on Tuesday, said a downgrade could decrease the estimated construction and operational cost of the Sea Forest venue from an original 70 billion yen ($A914 million) to about 30 billion yen ($A392 million).
Alternatively, using the existing facility in Miyagi would require investing an estimated 35 billion yen ($A457 million) to meet Olympic standards.
Koike will discuss the report later on Tuesday with officials from the International Olympic Committee and other parties.
The panel of academics and business consultants that the governor set up said the cost of the Olympics could exceed $US30 billion ($A39 billion) - four times the initial estimate - unless drastic cuts were made.
The panel came up with an option of moving rowing and canoeing to Naganuma, about 400km north of Tokyo, after the projected cost for a new venue in Tokyo Bay soared to $US490 million ($A640 million), seven times the initial estimate. The Naganuma site is part of the area still recovering from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Panel chief Shinichi Ueyama said it was the only realistic alternative to the Sea Forest considering the additional construction work and other preparations which would be required.
The report said that the total cost for the current Sea Forest site could be around 33 billion yen to 45 billion yen if redesigned for largely temporary use.
The city panel also proposed options of moving two other sports - volleyball and swimming - from planned new venues to existing ones.
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