Japan Press Weekly

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2016 September 28 - October 4 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

JCP demands formation of ad-hoc committee and summoning of witnesses over contaminated Toyosu fish market issue

The JCP Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Members’ Group on September 27 made representations to the assembly’s chair and vice chairperson as well as to each political party group to launch an ad-hoc committee, which will have a powerful mandate based on the Local Autonomy Act, to conduct a thorough investigation of the issue.

JCP Group Secretary General Oyama Tomoko said, “The establishment of this kind of investigation commission is essential because it will have the authority to summon witnesses and question false testimony as well.”

The 17-member JCP group proposes to call 12 persons as witnesses, including former governor Ishihara Shintaro, former vice governors, the former vice president of Tokyo Gas, and the former metropolitan government officials in charge of the Tsukiji fish market.

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Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko on September 30 said that she will wait until a comprehensive judgment of experts is made before she draws a conclusion regarding the pros and cons of the relocation of the Tsukiji fish market to a contaminated land site in Toyosu.

She said she was “very surprised” to hear that arsenic and benzene exceeding the allowable limit were detected on the day before from groundwater at the new market site.

The underground area of the site should have been filled with 4.5 meters of uncontaminated soil to block toxicants and cancer-causing substances from escaping. In actuality, however, there is no fresh soil placed there. The JCP Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Members’ Group revealed this fact following a series of their on-site investigations conducted since August.

Oyama Tomoko, secretary general of the JCP assemblypersons’ group, on the same day published the following comment on the Toyosu fish market issue:

I strongly propose that the metropolitan government conduct a full-scale soil contamination investigation and take additional countermeasures for the removal of contaminant sources. However, these will not automatically translate to a solution to the contamination problem. At least a 2-year monitoring of the site is necessary to confirm the effectiveness of countermeasures. Tokyo’s largest fresh produce market should not be located in such a contaminated area in the first place. The metropolitan government should swiftly begin an overall reconsideration with the cancellation of the relocation plan in mind.

Past related articles:
> Arsenic found in water covering underground space of new Toyosu market facilities: JCP Tokyo [September 17, 2016]
> Tokyo governor postpones relocation of Tsukiji fish market [September 1, 2016]
> JCP urges Tokyo governor to review Tsukiji fish market relocation [August 11, 2016]