Japan Press Weekly

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2017 June 7 - 13 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Don’t destroy Tsukiji brand value with Toyosu relocation

The Tsukiji market, a popular tourist destination close to Tokyo’s famous shopping district of Ginza, is always crowded with people, including shoppers and tourists from inside and outside Japan.

In the market, posters that read “Tsukiwaza (the skill of Tsukiji)” are visible everywhere. They also say, “Each tuna has a unique taste. Tsukiji traders can respond to customers’ needs with a perfect choice of tuna,” and “In order to fully bring out the flavor of vegetables, it is necessary to consider differences in producing areas, varieties, and recipes.”

A Tsukiji fish trader described the market as a place selling not only food products but also traders’ professional expertise accumulated over 80 years. The trader also said that people working at the Tsukiji market always feel this responsibility and are proud of dealing with food as professionals, and added that their attitude has contributed to winning the public trust in regard to food safety, the so-called Tsukiji brand.

Many wholesalers expressed the concern, “The market relocation to the polluted Toyosu district would damage Tsukiji’s time-tested reputation for food safety.” They also voiced their fears that they might lose their business partners if the relocation is carried out.

Regarding the Tukiji relocation project, experts recently made public that it is impossible to completely clean up the contaminated Toyosu site. The Liberal Democratic and Komei parties in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly are still insistent on pushing ahead with the project which has already eaten up taxpayers’ money. The Tokyo governor-led local political party “Tomin First no kai” has said nothing about the relocation. The Japanese Communist Party is the only political party which proposes that the Tsukiji market be renovated and not transferred to Toyosu. The JCP proposal represents the demand of Tsukiji workers and Tokyo citizens concerned about food safety.

Past related articles:
> Gov. Koike’s local party in campaign promise says nothing about Tokyo’s fish market issue [May 24, 2017]
> Tokyo JCP pledges to win cancellation of Tsukiji relocation in metropolitan assembly election [May 9, 2017]
> ‘Tsukiji bashing’ by LDP faces fierce counterattack [March 31, 2017]