Koike, elected to her post this in July, will reportedly visit the city 400 kilometres from Tokyo on October 15.

According to News24 Japan, she is also expected to meet with Miyagi Prefecture Governor Yoshihiro Murai. 

A report commissioned by Koike and published late last month by a Tokyo Metropolitan Government Task Force suggested three proposed venues be moved in order to avoid substantial budget increases for the Japanese Games.

They claimed budget could balloon to ¥3 trillion (£22 billion/$30 billion/€26 billion), four-times the initial figure, unless drastic changes are made.

While volleyball and swimming competitions could be moved within Tokyo, the possible shift in rowing and canoe sprint venues away from the proposed Sea Forest venue on Tokyo Bay has triggered huge alarm in sporting circles.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission chair John Coates has held emergency meetings with Organising Committee and Governmental officials.

International Rowing Federation (FISA) President Jean-Christophe Rolland has already travelled to Japan for talks with Koike.

Rolland has since insisted the Sea Forest venue "is the best project" amid a push for the change to be abandoned.

Japanese rowing and canoeing bodies have also opposed the move, while Tokyo 2020 President Yoshirō Mori has insisted it "would be extremely difficult" to change venues already approved by the IOC and relevant International Federations. 

Tokyo 2020 also dispute claims the budget could rise by the degree the Task Force reported, and claim the discrepancy is down to some factors - such as security and transportation - not being included in the initial budget.

But, in reality, there appears little the sports world can do if Koike insists the change goes ahead, particularly given how they have encouraged the movement of other venues in the spirit of the Agenda 2020 reform process.

Her reported decision to inspect the venue suggests she has not yet been swayed by the calls to back down.

Only three venues - for shooting, modern pentathlon and one for football - were initially due to be held outside an eight kilometres radius in a bid that was billed as compact.

Venues for basketball, taekwondo and cycling have since been moved outside, while the newly added sport of surfing is also set to be held away from the capital.

Japan Sports Agency Commissioner Daichi Suzuki insisted the alterations would need to be heavily studied and evaluated in order to avoid confusion.

"If we do not investigate how much [this change] would cost, it will lead to confusion,"" said Suzuki.

"If we do revise the plan, we need to know in what fashion it will be done.

Concerns are growing, however, that these issues are detracting from other important preparatory work with less than four years to go until the Olympics open.