Minister quits over Olympics stadium debacle

Describing his sense of shame following the aborting of the futuristic project, Shimomura said he had "caused great worry and trouble to many people" over the stadium.

The cost of the stadium, which was designed by UK-based Zaha Hadid Architects, had skyrocketed to over 1.78 billion euros ($2 billion), nearly twice the original figure.

The ambitious structure had also been set to become the country's national stadium after the Games.

Shimomura told a news conference that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had reluctantly accepted his resignation and asked him to stay on until a Cabinet reshuffle planned for next month.

He will return half his salary for the six months until September, in atonement, the Kyodo news agency reported.

The cutting edge design was likened to a cycle helmet but was also described as a "monumental mistake" by one Japanese competitor.

As well as hosting the 2020 Olympics, the stadium was expected to have been ready in time for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

A third-party panel blamed the Japan Sports Council and the Sports Ministry under Shimomura's leadership for the cost over-run.

Architect Zaha Hadid also blamed steep increases in construction costs in Tokyo and an uncompetitive tender process.

The selection of a new stadium design to replace the one that was scrapped is due in November. Officials had promised the structure will be ready by early 2020, but ongoing delays threaten to set back its completion.

In another fiasco, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics logo was also scrapped after plagiarism accusations.

mm/sms (AP, Reuters)