Japan Press Weekly

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2019 January 23 - 29 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Tokyo governor breaks her pledge to use former Tsukiji site as food-centric theme park with market function

Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko on January 23 announced a draft plan to construct a complex of convention and exhibition halls, hotels, and other facilities at the former Tsukiji fish market site, reversing her previous plan published two years ago.

In response to the governor’s announcement, Japanese Communist Party Tokyo Metropolitan Assemblymembers’ Group Secretary General Oyama Tomoko issued a comment criticizing the draft plan, by saying that Governor Koike broke her pledge.

Oyama said that in June 2017, just before the Tokyo metropolitan assembly election, Koike published a plan regarding the Tsukiji relocation and promised to construct a new facility at the Tsukiji market site which will carry out functions as a food market and a theme park featuring food. Oyama stressed that this was regarded as one of Koike’s election pledges because Koike at that time headed the local political party “Tomin First no Kai” whose candidates won seats in the 2017 metropolitan assembly election.

Oyama noted that Koike’s latest draft plan does not mention market functions when depicting the future state of Tsukiji and that this is a serious breach of her election campaign promise.

Furthermore, Oyama pointed out that Koike in October 2018 moved the fish market from Tsukiji to the new site in Toyosu where soil and groundwater are contaminated with toxic substances, breaking her promise to protect food safety for Tokyoites. Oyama said that the governor should not further trample on her pledges and that the draft plan should be thoroughly reconsidered.

The metropolitan government will accept public opinions on the draft plan until February 21 and finalize it at the end of March.

Past related articles:
> [August 2, 2018]
> Citizens protest against Tokyo governor’s decision to relocate Tsukiji market to polluted site next year [August 29, 2017]