Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara on Friday announced the members of a metropolitan government panel set up to discuss ideas for the city's bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.
The panel consists of 10 members, including Hiroshi Mikitani, president of top e-commerce firm Rakuten Inc., and two former Olympic athletes: judoka Toshihiko Koga and marathoner Toshihiko Seko.
The foreign panel members are Bill Totten, founder and president of computer software distributor K.K. Ashisuto, and essayist Kiritani Elizabeth.
Members were selected from many walks of life to provide ideas based on their various fields of expertise, Ishihara told a regular news conference.
"I hope the members will discuss what the Olympics should be like and the basic idea of the games from their own standpoints and propose concepts for the Tokyo games that can win the race against other cities," he said.
The panel members will have their first meeting later this month, according to metropolitan government officials.
Tokyo formally announced its Olympic bid last month. Fukuoka has also announced its candidacy.
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