March 5, 2015
About 90% of Tokyo’s Tsukiji market wholesalers deep down want to continue conducting business at the present location and do not want to move to the new location as planned, a survey released on March 3 by a citizens’ group revealed.
The new location was once a chemically polluted site, and the same survey showed that about 80% of the wholesale dealers think that land clean-up undertaken by the Tokyo government was insufficient.
The Tokyo metropolitan government is planning to open a new market in November 2016 after relocating the current market from Tsukiji to Toyosu where Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. used to have a factory. The new location chosen for the new market was, however, found to be polluted with toxic chemicals such as benzene, cyanide, arsenide, lead, and mercury.
Regarding the plan to move to the new market, more than 50% answered they “do not think they received enough explanations” and 70% answered they “think the ongoing construction of the new market should be suspended until the contaminated soil is confirmed to be fully removed”.
They also think that their opinions were not reflected in the design of the new market facilities (88%). The main complaints are about the size of shops in the new market, with comments such as, “Shops are too small,” and “Why will new shops be smaller than now?”
Other concerns included comments such as, “I can hardly squeeze enough money together for moving expenses” (37%) and “My shop may go bankrupt before the move” (35%).
The citizens’ group consisting of a labor union of Tokyo Tsukiji market and a consumers union has demanded that Tokyo Governor Masuzoe Yoichi freeze the plan to start the construction of the new Toyosu wholesale market.
Past related articles:
> Ex-Tokyo gov’t officials parachute into contract-awarded firms related to Tsukiji fish market [May 14, 2014]
> Tsukiji fish market relocation costs exceed initial cost estimate [February 1, 2014]
The new location was once a chemically polluted site, and the same survey showed that about 80% of the wholesale dealers think that land clean-up undertaken by the Tokyo government was insufficient.
The Tokyo metropolitan government is planning to open a new market in November 2016 after relocating the current market from Tsukiji to Toyosu where Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. used to have a factory. The new location chosen for the new market was, however, found to be polluted with toxic chemicals such as benzene, cyanide, arsenide, lead, and mercury.
Regarding the plan to move to the new market, more than 50% answered they “do not think they received enough explanations” and 70% answered they “think the ongoing construction of the new market should be suspended until the contaminated soil is confirmed to be fully removed”.
They also think that their opinions were not reflected in the design of the new market facilities (88%). The main complaints are about the size of shops in the new market, with comments such as, “Shops are too small,” and “Why will new shops be smaller than now?”
Other concerns included comments such as, “I can hardly squeeze enough money together for moving expenses” (37%) and “My shop may go bankrupt before the move” (35%).
The citizens’ group consisting of a labor union of Tokyo Tsukiji market and a consumers union has demanded that Tokyo Governor Masuzoe Yoichi freeze the plan to start the construction of the new Toyosu wholesale market.
Past related articles:
> Ex-Tokyo gov’t officials parachute into contract-awarded firms related to Tsukiji fish market [May 14, 2014]
> Tsukiji fish market relocation costs exceed initial cost estimate [February 1, 2014]
