东京市长石原慎太郎近日宣布，东京市将申办2020年夏季奥运会，希望此举能够成为日本灾后重建的催化剂，使各项建设尽快恢复正常。石原慎太郎表示，“虽然2020年离现在还有九年的时间，但我们可以从现在开始着手准备。如果我们带着希望连续努力九年，日本的重建和复兴就会有很大的进展。”2009年，日本斥资150亿日元申办2016年夏季奥运会，最终负于里约热内卢。2020年夏季奥运会的申办国须在今年9月1日前提交报名申请，最终获胜的主办城市将于2013年9月在布宜诺斯艾利斯公布。有意申办此届奥运会的城市还有德国柏林、韩国釜山、南非开普敦、卡塔尔多哈、意大利罗马以及土耳其伊斯坦布尔。

Tokyo intends to bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics as a "big catalyst" for Japan's recovery from last month's quake-tsunami disaster.

Tokyo intends to bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics as a "big catalyst" for Japan's recovery from last month's quake-tsunami disaster.

Shintaro Ishihara was set to win a fourth term as Tokyo governor in local elections across the country which focused on ways to revive Japan after a 9.0-magnitude quake and monster tsunami ravaged its Pacific coast.

"Although they (the 2020 Games) are nine years from now, we can start raising our hand now," he said. "If we will work hard with hopes for nine years ahead, it will be a big catalyst for our country's reconstruction and revival."

In late 2009, Tokyo lost out to Rio de Janeiro in the race for the 2016 Summer Olympics after spending some 15 billion yen (£107 million) on the bid to stage what it called compact and eco-friendly games.

"There seems to be some tendency within the International Olympic Committee to help Japan, at any rate nine years later when it is expected to have been revived," Ishihara said.

The failed bid was one of two major failures cited in his 12 years at the helm of one of the world's biggest megalopolises. The other was heavy investment in a city-run bank that he helped create but which has fallen deeply into the red.

Candidates for 2020 must submit their bids to the IOC by September 1 this year. The host city will be chosen in Buenos Aires in September 2013.

Berlin, Busan, Cape Town, Doha, Rome and Istanbul are among cities which have signalled their interest in bidding to host the 2020 event in recent years.

相关阅读

东京樱花在灾难阴霾中绽放

日本拟发行十万亿日元紧急国债

(Agencies)

（中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑）