Academics urge Tokyo Metropolitan Government to give up relocation of Tsukiji market

Japan Press Weekly

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Academics urge Tokyo Metropolitan Government to give up relocation of Tsukiji market

The Japan Association on Environmental Studies (JAES) on August 20 petitioned Tokyo Governor Ishihara Shintaro to immediately cancel the plan to relocate the Tsukiji wholesale market saying that the environmental impact assessment by an expert commission is inadequate.

JAES President Hata Akio and former vice president Sakamaki Yukio handed a statement adopted by the 34th JAES convention to metropolitan government officials.

It disputes the recent conclusion of an expert commission giving the green light to the plan to relocate the wholesale market to the former Tokyo Gas plant site at Toyosu in Koto Ward in disregard of growing opposition.

The statement criticized the expert commission for its shoddy work that does not include people who are concerned about the contamination of the land. It said that the commission’s report concludes that ‘the land is safe for the fish market” without providing any concrete data that support the argument.

At a news conference later in the day, Hata criticized the report and urged the metropolitan government to set up an impartial and neutral investigation body and to correct flaws of the expert commission report.

The Japanese Communist Party Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Members’ Group on August 20 held a study meeting in the Metropolitan Government building on the contaminated land issue. About 80 people, including consumers, traders, and researchers, participated in the meeting.

JCP Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Members’ Group Chair Watanabe Yasunobu said, “The site chosen for the relocation is heavily contaminated with toxic materials and is totally inappropriate for the relocation of a market that deals in vegetables and fish. We demand that the Tsukiji market be improved at the present site and oppose the relocation.” -Akahata, August 21, 2008