Environment Tokyo government to cut thousands of old trees for Mitsui Fudosan's Jingu Gaien project

While author Haruki Murakami has expressed opposition to the massive Meiji Jingu Gaien redevelopment project, developers plan to start chopping down the first batch of tall trees in August. :mad:


Seriously, the developers and profiteers involved in this project should all be named and shamed!


The developers will hold a meeting this summer with local residents to try to win their understanding for the project, under which more than 700 trees taller than 3 meters will be felled. Although 837 trees will be newly planted, concerns have risen that the project will not only cause environmental damage but will also ruin the look and atmosphere of the leafy area in central Tokyo. The project includes rebuilding Meiji Jingu Stadium and Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, as well as erecting two skyscrapers. The redevelopment started in March and is scheduled to conclude in 2036. According to sources involved in the project, developers on June 27 began demolishing a steel tower at Jingu Second Stadium, which is next to Meiji Jingu Stadium. The sources said the developers plan to cut down 30 trees more than 3 meters tall near Jingu Second Stadium in August.
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Last Monday, Mrs Kopp presented a video created by Berman Design, a national architectural design firm in the U.S., to visualise the accurate scale of the redevelopment.


As the Jingu Gaien redevelopment project garners more attention, people wonder what the project will look like. However, the perspective drawings published by the developers don't give a complete view of the project, as they have been selectively drawn from angles that minimise the appearance of the large buildings that will be constructed. To give everyone a complete understanding of the impact of the development and the scale of the planned facilities, we asked a national architectural design firm in the U.S., Berman Design, to prepare realistic before and after development models. Berman Design has expertise in adaptive reuse and hospitality. Berman Design entered into computer programs the information from Google Earth for the existing structures and information for the planned new structures given in the developer's plans published on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's website. The computer program produces an accurate 3D model, which can be shown from various angles and viewpoints. We will release a video based on this model on Monday, July 17th, at 11:45 am Tokyo time. This video will show Jingu Gaien in its current state juxtaposed with the planned development from various perspectives. The "before" and "after" for multiple locations within Jingu Gaien will be shown at the same angles, directly comparing before and after the development. We believe this video will give the public a clearer idea of the scale and impact of this development. We will also be doing a hashtag demo on Twitter with this hashtag: ＃神宮外苑まちづくり不都合な実像 Please tweet using it!
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Source

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Meanwhile, Tokyo residents were left feeling underwhelmed at a meeting with developers over plans to erect two nearly 200-meter skyscrapers on land that is currently a leafy neighbourhood popular with sports fans and those out for a stroll. There has been heavy criticism of the towers and plans to fall hundreds of mature trees and demolish and rebuild sports facilities at the Meiji Jingu Gaien district in central Tokyo.

 
Yesterday saw new protests against the Jingu Gaien project and the planned felling of 100-year-old ginkgo trees. Activist Nakashima Miho stood in a two-piece bathing suit in Tokyo on Sunday next to one of the ginkgo trees, her body painted head-to-toe in green leaves and brown branches.


jingu-mae01.jpg


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Photo credit: (AP Photo/Stephen Wade)​



 
Today, one of Japan's most iconic bands, the Southern All Stars, released a new single in protest against the Jingu Gaien project. In their song, the band calls for reconsidering the project involving 17.5 hectares of leafy area in the heart of the capital. Keisuke Kuwata, the band's lead singer, said the new single, "Relay--The Song of the Forest," is meant to carry on the legacy of the late musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, who strongly opposed the project.


Kuwata said that he was not really following the news about the redevelopment project until Sakamoto's passing in March. "(After learning about Sakamoto's campaign against the project), I did some research about it myself and realized that something important was being lost," said Kuwata. "That's how the song's lyrics came to be." The straightforward protest song includes lines such as, "Someone was lamenting the disappearance of a beautiful forest," "Is a lovely oasis turning into an asphalt jungle?" "Are we allowed to block the sky with a future city?" The song concludes with the line, "Let's relay his will, I love this forest." A month before his death, Sakamoto sent a letter to Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, urging her to halt and reassess the project.
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Southern All Stars

Music  Southern All Stars

Originally published 18 October 2006 Seventies returnees Southern All Stars (サザンオールスターズ, Sazan Ōrusutaazu) is a Japanese rock/pop band. They released their debut single, "Katte ni Shindobaddo" (勝手にシンドバッド), on 25 June 1978 and have been on the charts ever since. With over 200 million albums...
 
Tokyo's Jingu Gaien park area has been placed on a "Heritage Alert" list by the International Council on Monuments and Sites, ICOMOS, which works with the United Nations body UNESCO. The conservancy sent an open letter to 18 politicians, including PM Kishida, and business and community leaders, saying the planned redevelopment will lead to "irreversible destruction of cultural heritage" with thousands of trees being felled.


What I didn't know:

About 1,500 trees were chopped down in the same area to build the $1.4 billion stadium for the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Hosting the Games allowed the city to change zoning laws, permitting developers to further encroach on the park area.
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And, unsurprising:

Developers have argued the baseball stadium and rugby venue cannot be renovated and must be razed.
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Last Friday, The Shinjuku City Council permitted the cut of more trees. This guy, in particular, the mayor of Shinjuku, Yoshizumi Kenichi, seems responsible.

新宿区長　吉住健一プロフィール

新宿区長　吉住健一の公式ホームページです。東京を活性化し、日本を取り戻す！
www.yoshizumi.jp


Today, at 13:00, there will be a protest in Shinjuku Ward:

Copy of the email below:
SIbJnFYbZkeZect-800x450-noPad.webp



As soon as September started, there was a wave of significant news regarding Jingu Gaien. Domestic and international interest in this issue continues to grow!

Keisuke Kuwata of the beloved Japanese rock band Southern All Stars released a new song, "Relay~Mori no Uta (poem of the forest)," which expresses his concern for Jingu Gaien and has attracted much attention.

Kuwata said, "I wrote this song in response to the thoughts of the late Ryuichi Sakamoto," and "Jingu Gaien is very close to the Victor Studios where we have been making music for years, so I think of it as like my hometown. That influenced this song."


The song was featured in a Uniqlo TV commercial and the full version in Uniqlo stores before its official release on September 18.
サザン×ユニクロ、ヒートテック新CMで初タッグ 桑田佳祐はバスケする綾瀬はるか＆内田篤人を応援


Meanwhile, the Paris headquarters of ICOMOS, UNESCO's advisory body on World Heritage and other cultural properties, issued a Heritage Alert, accompanied by an official request to withdraw the project.

The Heritage Alert was issued with unprecedented speed after it was adopted unanimously by the delegates of each country at the ICOMOS World Congress held in Sydney this month.


ICOMOS recognizes Jingu Gaien as a unique historical and cultural urban heritage site and warns that it is under imminent threat from development.


The Heritage Alert was sent to 18 parties, including Prime Minister Kishida, the ministers of MLIT, MEXT, MOE, Governor Koike, the mayors of the wards concerned, and the four developers.

In the same vein, the citizens' group "Jingu Gaien and National Stadium Hand-Over to the Future" gathered 78 celebrities, including writers and artists, and issued a statement calling for a halt to tree cutting and a review of the project, which also received widespread media coverage.


Tokyo Shimbun: Tokiko Kato and 78 other celebrities from the entertainment and cultural fields "Don't reduce greenery in the heart of Tokyo," demanded in a statement that the felling of trees in Jingu Gaien be stopped.
加藤登紀子さんら芸能･文化人78人「都心の緑減らさないで」 神宮外苑伐採中止求め声明：東京新聞 TOKYO Web


AP News: Tokyo's threatened Jingu Gaien Park placed on 'Heritage Alert' list by conservancy body Tokyo's threatened Jingu Gaien park placed on 'Heritage Alert' list by conservancy body

However, despite these significant developments, Shinjuku Ward approved a second tree-cutting application on September 8, the same day the Equimos Heritage Alert was issued. We are disappointed in the attitude of Shinjuku Ward, which ignores the voices of its citizens and from overseas.


The following protest action against Shinjuku Ward will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, September 12.


Why not stop by if you can take a late lunch?


9/12 13:00 Urgent protest against Shinjuku City Mayor Yoshizumi, who permitted to cut down trees! ～Standing in front of the Shinjuku Ward Office


Date and time: September 12 (Tue.) 13:00~.
Place: In front of Shinjuku Ward Office (Shinjuku City Office · 1 Chome-4-1 Kabukicho, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-8484, Japan)

Mayor Yoshizumi will hold a regular press conference before the Shinjuku City Office from 2:00 p.m. Before that, we will appeal to the media.


Satoru Osawa of Meiji Jingu Gaien wo Kanagaeru Kai calls for standing action. This group is also the leader of the lawsuit against Shinjuku City to revoke the approval to cut down the trees and create smiles for future children.
未来の子どもたちの笑顔をつくる明治神宮外苑をかんがえる会（新宿区） | Facebook
 
There's another protest on Sunday, 17 September.

This was copied and pasted from Rochelle Kopp's Facebook post.

Join us for a protest against the Jingu Gaien redevelopment project this Sunday (9/17) 1 p.m. at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). Meet at Exit 6 of Toranomon Station. Wear something green, and bring a placard with a message! More details here, including why we are doing this at MEXT:

 
It is good to see Asahi and other news outlets acknowledge Mrs Kopp, who filed a new petition today, as a "save Jingu Gaien" movement leader. Let's see if the big money will have to give in once.

The new petition submitted Monday by Rochelle Kopp, a "save Jingu Gaien" movement leader, urges the Education Ministry to instruct its affiliate Japan Sports Council to rethink the redevelopment plan and renovate a rugby stadium instead of switching places with a baseball stadium by razing them both and "obliterating" a forest. The petition also urges the ministry, in charge of cultural heritage, to designate the famous avenue of nearly 150 gingko trees in the area as a scenic cultural property for protection, Kopp said. Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike in February approved the plan, giving a green light to developers to build a pair of skyscrapers and a lower tower as part of the redevelopment. Kopp, a longtime Tokyo resident who operates a management consulting company, said the petition has been signed by nearly a quarter-million people. Not only neighborhood residents and environmental activists, but academics, artists and prominent people like Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami have expressed opposition to the plan.
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:LOL: Hilarious!

Jingu Gaien: An imagined conversation between Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and her staff members


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Koike: "This has to be put to a stop immediately! The voices against Jingu Gaien are getting too loud. We need to do something to shut them up, pronto."

Staff 1: "Yeah, it was unlucky timing that Southern All Stars issued a new song about Jingu Gaien, followed right after by ICOMOS' Heritage Alert."

Staff 2: "That Southern All Stars song has a catchy tune. And now there are posters promoting it all over town, and Kuwata-san is getting lots of interviews."

Staff 3: "And the Heritage Alert sure got a lot of attention, both in Japan and abroad."

Koike: "Yes, that's right. That got everyone looking at the project again, just when the developers hoped that things would be calm so they could start cutting trees this month."

Staff 1: "The press coverage really does seem to be getting momentum. Two popular TV shows, Hodo 1930 and Sunday Morning, covered them last week."

Staff 2: "That pesky American consultant's petition gained over 1000 followers in a day when Sunday Morning ran its story."

Staff 3: "And then she delivered a petition to the Education Ministry the next day! Ugh!"

Koike: "Yeah, the last thing I need is the Education Ministry on my back."

Staff 1: "It's amazing how hands-off they have been up until now, considering that their affiliated organization is one of the developers…"

Koike: "We can worry about that later. But now today, I have really had it up to here, and we need to do something right away. Last night, Haruki Murakami spoke out about Jingu Gaien again. And you know how much people love him. Then today, Toyo Keizai is out with two long stories on Jingu Gaien, featuring that super popular young academic Kohei Saito. And Diamond had the nerve to run a story with the title "With even Southern All Stars speaking out against the Jingu Gaien redevelopment, will Governor Koike flip flop yet again?"!

Koike: "We need to do something now and stop all this talk about Jingu Gaien. I'm starting to worry it will hurt my election chances next year. Can't we get the developers to throw the critics a bone somehow?"

Koike: "Remember with the Olympic public viewing at Yoyogi Park, the last topic that American consultant made noise about? Public talk about it was getting loud, so I made a big deal of cancelling the public viewing, and it created positive headlines. But we went ahead and built the stage and other structures – we didn't want to take work away from our friend, the construction company. Can't we do something similar with Jingu Gaien – something that will turn down the heat but not really change the ultimate plan?"

Staff 1: "Here's an idea, why don't we have the developers announce that they will postpone cutting any trees until next January? They can't cut any trees right now anyway, given that public opinion is so strong.

Koike: "Good idea. That will make a good headline. Then they can cut the trees later when things are calmer, and hopefully, people won't pay attention."

Staff 2: "I have another idea. Remember how last year, the developers manipulated the numbers and made it look like they would cut down 40% fewer trees, even though the plan was completely unchanged? And then the press swallowed it hook, line and sinker, and we got a slew of headlines that said "40% reduction"?

Koike: "Yep, that was a good one. Can we try it again?"

Staff 2: "I don't see why not."

Staff 3: "How about the developer announces that they are going to change the plan so that fewer trees will be cut. But in actuality, just move some "cut" trees to the "transplant" category, so the numbers look better."

Staff 1: "And rather than announcing it right away, they can say that they will announce the details in December. Then for the next couple of months, we can say "the developer is working on a plan to decrease the number of trees cut." That will shut up the opponents for a while.

Staff 2: "In December, everyone is busy with year-end stuff, so they will be distracted. Perfect time to announce something without it attracting much attention."

Koike: "Perfect plan. This will quiet things down about Jingu Gaien for a while, and maybe, if we are lucky, the public will forget about it, and the activists will think they have won and will get out of our hair. Tell the developers to hurry up and announce it today!"

 
Last Thursday, 40 members of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, about a third of the entire assembly from across all parties, met to express their opposition to Mitsui's "redevelopment plan" in the Jingu Gaien area. The group was set up on 5 October following a "Heritage Alert" issued last month by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).

"It's really disappointing that the metropolitan government is not responding seriously to the alert from the international body," said Ikuko Tanoue, who heads the group. "People are raising their voices in opposition, so assembly members have to work together against the project," Tanoue added. Campaigners say that the plans to replace more than 700 trees with new ones and build two skyscrapers in the area will damage the environment and landscape. The assembly members will scrutinize counter arguments presented by Mitsui Fudosan Co. and other developers against the ICOMOS alert. They will also hold discussions with developers and landowners if necessary.
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As for Mrs Koike...

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Todd Wojnowski, a writer at Japan Travel, and his elegy to the historic Meiji Jingu Stadium and the Tokyo Yakult Swallows:

As has been widely reported, the Tokyo government is planning to demolish Jingu as part of a large-scale redevelopment of the Meiji Jingu Gaien Park complex. The project will also bulldoze a much-loved rugby stadium, and wipe out iconic plant- and wildlife. In their place, the government's project will reward us all with ever-important "commercial space" and multiple high-rise buildings for swanky office space and high-end apartments. A new stadium will be constructed to house the Swallows, as well. But a new stadium will never replace what Jingu means to the Swallows' faithful. The ballpark is the centrepiece of fan life, a bridge to the past and a symbol of the team itself. Losing it would be a terrific blow to the team's culture and community. To this Swallows fan — and countless others — Jingu needs to be saved.
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And:

Jingu Stadium remains perfectly serviceable. Replacing it is simply an act of callous, bottom-line business and maybe vanity.[...] But the heart knows things, too, in its purest form: fandom is a matter of the heart. Koshien Stadium (Jingu's only elder) was fully renovated in 2010 and remains the beloved centrepiece of the Hanshin Tiger fandom. Many of Jingu's shortcomings could be solved similarly. The rest? We can live with them, as we have for decades. It's a small price to pay to retain our history and identity. A few years ago, several tall buildings were constructed directly next to Jingu. Horribly, they cast wide shadows over the fans on the first-base side and blocked the summer sunsets that used to make the stadium glow each evening. If Jingu Stadium gets replaced, the rest of its fans will be left in the dark as well.
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web.archive.org

An elegy to Tokyo’s doomed Jingu Stadium and its fans

“Tradition is not the worship of ashes,” goes a quote attributed to composer Gustav Mahler, “but the preservation of fire.” Alright, using the word “fire” to describe the history of the typically-inept Tokyo Yakult Swallows will draw some mockery from baseball people. But when it comes to the...
web.archive.org web.archive.org
 
It seems that neither the Tokyo Metropolitan Government nor Mitsui Fudosan deem a UNESCO Advisory Panel worthy of an answer:

ICOMOS Japan held a news conference at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Buildings on Tuesday. It asked for a response, saying the original deadline of October 10 had been missed. ICOMOS says it is unusual for it to make a second request after issuing a heritage alert. The panel is asking Tokyo to redo its environmental assessment that led to the endorsement of the project. ICOMOS Japan Director Ishikawa Mikiko described the lack of a formal response as extremely regrettable and a serious situation.
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www3.nhk.or.jp

UNESCO advisory panel repeats request for response to Jingu Gaien heritage alert | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

The Japan branch of a UNESCO advisory panel has again asked the Tokyo Metropolitan government and developers to respond to its heritage alert to stop a redevelopment project for the Meiji Jingu Gaien, a historic and lush park in the center of the capital.
www3.nhk.or.jp www3.nhk.or.jp
 
A group of 420 outside experts, including architects, urban planners, environmentalists and economists, demanded in an open letter and news conference that the project be suspended and suggested Koike, the Empress of Tree-Cutting, was ignoring public discontent and bowing to the powerful construction industry.

Of course, there will be more 黙殺 (see above).

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Photo credit: Stephen Wade​

The letter said Koike and her government "have made no effort to provide official answers to dozens of public questions" and policy decisions. It asked for an independent environmental assessment and said some of the ginkgo trees "are in a state of obvious decline" that could be exacerbated by construction. "What she (Koike) is doing with this case is the simple destruction of nature when we need more trees," Kohei Saito, a political economist at Tokyo University, told The Associated Press. "We should have an open public discussion. This is not something that only politicians and private companies should decide."
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mainichi.jp

Tokyo Governor Koike asked to stop $2.45 billion plan to remake park, famous baseball stadium - The Mainichi

TOKYO (AP) -- Governor Yuriko Koike was asked Tuesday to stop a disputed $2.45 billion project to convert a Tokyo park district, renowned for its rows
mainichi.jp mainichi.jp
 
Directly taken from Ms Kopp's Change.org page:

Big event in Jingu Gaien, Saturday, June 29th, 6 to 8 pm -- please join us!



aXXBepVvqtEfOxN-800x450-noPad.webp


The issues related to the Jingu Gaien redevelopment plan are again getting attention due to the upcoming Tokyo governor's election.
We are gathering in Jingu Gaien on Saturday night from 6 to 8 p.m. The event will feature prominent speakers and small group discussions among the participants.

The location is the plaza in front of the Meiji Memorial Museum:

Meiji Memorial Museum · 1-1 Kasumigaokamachi, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0013, Japan .

Please join us in showing your support for Jingu Gaien and share with others your hopes for its future, the importance of greenery in the urban environment, and the need for greater transparency and community involvement in development in Tokyo.

The more people attending, the more significant statement we can make. There will be a lot of media in attendance. Please join us in helping us demonstrate a high interest in Jingu Gaien.
 
Mrs Kopp officially endorses Renho, not least for her promise to review the Jingu Gaien redevelopment project.


​
 
Deep in Japan replied to that tweet then posted on facebook thinking you are not allowed endorse a candidate if you are not a citizen. I have never heard of any such Japanese law or rule, have you?
 

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