Japan Press Weekly

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2017 January 11 - 17 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Tokyo JCP demands drastic review of plan to move Tsukiji market to Toyosu

Japanese Communist Party members of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly made representations to Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko on January 16 concerning the fact that extremely toxic substances were recently detected at the planned food market site in the Toyosu district. They urged the governor to thoroughly review the plan to relocate the Tsukiji fish market to Toyosu.

On January 14, it came to light that the metropolitan government’s latest monitoring survey found that groundwater at the Toyosu site is contaminated with hazardous materials such as the carcinogenic substance benzene, the amount of which was up to 79 times higher than the environmental upper limit.

The JCP legislators’ written representation points out that the survey results have revealed that the “two pillars” of the antipollution measures implemented by the Tokyo government - the raising of the ground level and the introduction of a system to control groundwater - both failed completely.

In the representations, JCP assemblyperson Sone Hajime demanded testing of the soil added at the site, pointing to the possibility that the added soil is polluted with underground water as well. He also called for renovation of the Tsukiji market and serious consideration of the cancellation of the transfer project.

Governor Koike said in reply, “I’m also shocked by the survey results. As I agree to some of the JCP demands, I’ll give it proper consideration.”

At a press conference after the petition, JCP Sone claimed that the metropolitan assembly should convene a special committee on the relocation issue and stressed the need to set up a powerful investigation commission based on Article 100 of the Local Autonomy Act.