TOKYO Gov. Shintaro Ishihara said June 17 that he wants to take another shot at bringing the Olympics to the capital, says the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun in an editorial. Excerpts: Ishihara envisions a campaign focused on Japan's “reconstruction from the disaster” (after earthquake and tsunami hit the easter part of Japan). He said he will cast the Olympics as an opportunity for Japan to show the world how it has recovered nine years after the devastation caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake. South Africa, seen as the favorite for 2020 because of its first-in-Africa status, recently decided not to join the race. At the moment, Rome, which hosted the 1960 Summer Olympics, is Tokyo's only serious rival. A crucial moment for Tokyo's planned bid will come in July, when the International Olympic Committee will choose the city hosting the 2018 Winter Games. If South Korea's Pyeongchang wins the bid, its third try in a row, things could go harder for Tokyo because the IOC may decline to hold an Olympics for both 2018 and 2020 in Asia. __
