Japan Press Weekly

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2018 August 29 - September 4 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

JCP Tokyo presses agriculture minister to not permit fresh fish market in contaminated site

The group of Tokyo metropolitan assemblypersons of the Japanese Communist Party on August 29 made representations to the Agriculture Minister, demanding that the authorities disallow the opening of a Tokyo central wholesale fish market to open at a former gas plant site. Three JCP Dietmembers accompanied them.

The Tokyo metropolitan government has applied to the Agriculture and Fisheries Ministry for a permit to open the new fish market in Toyosu after moving the wholesale functions from the current location of Tsukiji to the former Tokyo Gas plant site of Toyosu.

The group's secretary general, Oyama Tomoko, pointed out that the new market in Toyosu, where benzene 170 times higher than the environmental standard has been detected in groundwater, cannot ensure "food safety", and that many Tsukiji market-related people and Tokyo consumers are concerned about the market relocation to the polluted site.

JCP member of the House of Representatives Kasai Akira said that Prime Minister Abe Shinzo in October 2016 said in response to Kasai at the Diet that the state government will conduct strict examinations based on the Wholesale Market Act to determine if the Toyosu site is appropriate for a fish market.

Kasai also said that the then Fukuda Cabinet in a written statement in 2007 instructed the Tokyo metropolitan government to take all possible measures to ensure the safety of food as well as to sufficiently explain to consumers about the relocation and gain their understanding. He added that PM Abe in responding to Kasai said that the present government takes the same stance as in the 2007 statement.

Agriculture Minister Saito Ken responded, "We will make a careful judgement. Taking into consideration what you have just said, we will strictly comply with the relevant laws when examining the Tokyo metropolitan government's application."

Past related articles:
> Tokyo Governor endorses Tsukiji fish market relocation to contaminated Toyosu site [August 2, 2018]
> JCP Kasai pushes Abe gov’t to revoke approval for Tsukiji fish market relocation [October 4, 2016]