The International Olympic Committee selected Tokyo to host the 2020 Summer Olympics. In voting Saturday in Buenos Aires, the committee picked Tokyo over the two other contenders, Madrid and Istanbul.
Tokyo led after a first round of voting but fell short of a majority. Istanbul and Madrid tied for second, and a 49-45 tiebreaker vote put Istanbul in the final runoff with Tokyo. Tokyo won the final vote, 60 to Istanbul's 36.
Japan offers a $4.5 billion guaranteed reserve fund, plenty of hotel rooms for visitors and a dependable transportation system.
"Tokyo can be trusted to be the safe pair of hands and much more," bid leader and IOC member Tsunekazu Takeda said in the final presentation. "Our case today is simple. Vote for Tokyo and you vote for guaranteed delivery. ... Tokyo is the right partner at the right time."
Japan's bid for 2020 billed the city as the safe choice -- despite radiation leaking from the Fukushima nuclear plant. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe personally made a presentation to the committee and promised an effective cleanup.
"By hosting the 2020 Tokyo Games, we will create hope," Tokyo mayor Naoki Inose said during the news conference after the win. "Our hosting of the Games will accelerate the recovery of Japan's tsunami-affected area."
Tokyo hosted the Olympics in 1964; the Winter Games were held in Nagano in 1998.
