Just over 2 years left, intense work at Tokyo stadium site

TOKYO — Tokyo’s main Olympic stadium is starting to take shape as structures of what will become spectator stands are being installed after 10 months of underground foundation work.

With its completion deadline just over two years away, work is intense.

Olympic Minister Shunichi Suzuki, during a visit to the site Tuesday, said the construction is proceeding as scheduled, praising the workflow efficiency. He said all possible technology must be mobilized to finish by the November 2019 deadline. Suzuki, however, cautioned that workers should not stockpile overtime.

Suzuki cited the suicide earlier this year of a worker linked to overwork, or “karoshi,” and addressed the concerns about the working environment at the project.

The stadium delay was part of Japan’s troubled Olympics preparations, underscoring a widespread lack of cost-control.