Japan Press Weekly

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2016 October 5 - 11 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Another scandal over Toyosu market issue revealed

Japanese Communist Party Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Members’ Group Secretary General Oyama Tomoko has uncovered an improper contract made by the Tokyo government in regard to a system for controlling underground water at the partially completed new market site in the Toyosu district.

The underground water control system is important as a measure to handle soil pollution problems at the Toyosu market site where a Tokyo Gas plant was situated. The system will prevent underground water from seeping into non-contaminated soil beneath market facilities, check the level of toxic substances such as benzene in underground water, and deal with those substances if they are highly concentrated in the water.

The Tokyo Metropolitan government in August 2012 publicly solicited contractor companies to design this system and awarded the contract amounting to 37.5 million yen to Nihon Suido Consultations Co., Ltd (Nissuicon).

JCP Oyama on October 4 at a plenary session of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly used her interpellation time to grill the Tokyo government about this contract.

Noting that a company willing to apply for the underground water system project should have a laboratory available to analyze the flow of underground water, Oyama pointed to the fact that in response to a JCP inquiry, Nissuicon said that it outsources all experimental work. Oyama said, “The Tokyo government chose an unqualified applicant for the project.”

Tokyo government official in charge of the Toyosu market issue Kishimoto Ryoichi insisted that the Tokyo government used Nissuicon’s PR pamphlet to determine that the company fulfills the requirements for the project.

In regard to the company’s pamphlet, Oyama pointed out that there is no acknowledgement of lab facilities.

Oyama stressed, “In addition to the improper handling of the polluted soil, the Tokyo government has damaged the public trust in its measures to control underground water.” The JCP lawmaker urged Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko to probe into the metropolitan government’s contract with Nissuicon.

Koike said that a task force set up under the governor will investigate the matter if needed.

Past related articles:
> Arsenic found in water covering underground space of new Toyosu market facilities: JCP Tokyo [September 17, 2016]
> Tokyo gov’t fails to take countermeasures against soil pollution at new fish market site [September 11 & 13, 2016]