Editorial: Tokyo must properly screen Meiji Jingu Gaien redevelopment plan amid concerns

Developers involved in a project to rebuild Tokyo’s Meiji Jingu Gaien area have drafted revisions to the redevelopment plan and submitted them to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The plan involves the felling of trees and other problematic issues.

In the draft, however, there were no major changes to the original plan, raising the question of how far the developers have gone to resolve the issues at hand. Thorough screening by the metropolitan government’s Environmental Impact Assessment Council is called for.

The redevelopment involves rebuilding and relocating Jingu Stadium and Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, and constructing three high-rise buildings in the area. The project is being carried out by parties including Meiji Jinju shrine and a major real-estate firm.

Concerns have been raised, however, about the environmental impact on famous rows of ginkgo trees along an avenue in the area and about plans to cut down or relocate about 1,000 medium-sized and tall trees.

Figures including the late musician Ryuichi Sakamoto had voiced opposition to the plan, and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), an advisory body to UNESCO, has called for its withdrawal. In September last year, the metropolitan government requested that the developers formulate measures to preserve the trees.

The release of the revised plan was expected around the beginning of this year, but it was delayed until after the Tokyo gubernatorial election in July. The developers announced that it had reduced the number of trees to be felled by 124. However, many of them were removed from the count after being classified as dead or reassigned for relocation. Only 66 trees were newly guaranteed to be preserved in their current state.

Under the original plan, there was only going to be a gap of about 8 meters between the ginkgo trees and the new Jingu Stadium, but out of consideration for preservation of the trees’ roots and other factors, this was increased to roughly 18 meters. Yet there were no concrete details regarding how this would affect the stadium’s design.

In recent years, concerns have been raised about the deteriorating growth of the ginkgo trees, and careful analysis is needed to determine whether the new preservation measures will be sufficient.

The question of whether or not to go ahead with the mass felling of trees is not the only factor that has complicated the issue. After consensus-building with local residents was put on the backburner, the metropolitan government’s assessment council did not provide a forum for ICOMOS Japan, which had objected to the developers’ environmental impact assessment, to state its opinion, and the procedures prioritizing speed over quality invited criticism and distrust. Officials must not try to put an end to the issue by accepting the review proposal as a mere formality.

A survey conducted by parties including the Mainichi Shimbun found that about 70% of respondents were opposed to the plan to fell the trees. The metropolitan government needs to conduct a careful screening without taking the concerns of Tokyoites lightly.