Japan's Abe vows cooperation in assistance to secure Olympics 2020

Baku. 16 May. REPORT.AZ/ Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday vowed cooperation with French investigators probing payments allegedly made to help Tokyo secure the 2020 Olympics, Report informs referring to the AFP.

"I have instructed the education and sports minister to fully cooperate in the investigation," Abe told lawmakers in parliament, Jiji Press reported.

"Education and sports minister Hiroshi Hase told the Japanese Olympic Committee and the former bid committee to cooperate in the investigation," Abe was quoted as saying.

French prosecutors on Thursday said they were investigating $2 million in payments, suspecting they were aimed at winning support for Tokyo's successful bid to host the 2020 Games.

On Friday, Japan's Olympic chief insisted that the payments were "legitimate" and were for consulting work.

The payments to a bank account in Singapore were first revealed by Britain's Guardian newspaper.

Sources told AFP that French investigators suspected the money was aimed at helping Tokyo secure the 2020 Games.

Some 2.8 million Singapore dollars (1.8 million euros, $2 million) were paid to a company linked to the son of disgraced former world athletics chief Lamine Diack, French prosecutors said.