Tokyo 2020 Olympics 'back on track' after rocky start

On a nondescript patch of land east of Tokyo, cranes are whirring frantically against a city skyscraper backdrop as 200 workers toil on the 2020 Olympic canoe venue.

With the Pyeongchang winter games closed, Tokyo is stepping up preparations for the next event on the Olympic calendar, with busy building sites dotted around the Japanese capital.

Unlike in previous Olympic host countries, where there was a scramble to finish venues on time, Japan appears to be living up to its reputation for efficiency, with foreman after foreman telling AFP on a recent tour of sites: "We are on schedule."
And Tokyo 2020 chief executive officer Toshiro Muto is also bullish, telling reporters: "Everything is going very smoothly and I can clearly say that most of the competition venues are on track and they will be completed as scheduled."
- 'Significant' cuts -
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Koike admitted: "There was a time when Tokyo's budget seriously ballooned. We have reviewed it and then we reviewed it again. So it has been very much squeezed from the previous budget."
- Battle against heat -
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The governor said she was more concerned for the supporters than the athletes who "are very capable -- more so than ordinary people -- of bringing their physical fitness to deal with any climate."