Twenty questions for Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike about Jingu Gaien – and what to watch out for in her answers at FCCJ press conference

By Rochelle Kopp

On Monday, Feb. 13 at 3 pm, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike will address the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan on the topic of “The Challenges Facing Tokyo in 2023; Achieving a Sustainable City.” You can watch the presentation here.

This will be the perfect opportunity for journalists to ask Governor Koike some hard questions about the Jingu Gaien redevelopment plan, which runs counter to the sustainability and ESG goals that she has put forth.

Here are my suggestions for some good things to ask Governor Koike about. And after the questions I’ll warn you about some deflective answers she may give.

1. You’ve outlined today Tokyo’s various environment related initiatives and aspirations. How are those compatible with the Jingu Gaien redevelopment project which will result in 1000 trees being cut down and historic stadiums moved and rebuilt to make room for high rise office towers?

2. The Jingu Gaien redevelopment plan sites the new baseball stadium just a few meters from the iconic rows of gingko trees. Experts say that is sure to damage the roots and will cause them to wither and die. Why are you willing to risk such a popular Tokyo landmark?

3. The Environmental Assessment Committee’s deliberations on the Jingu Gaien redevelopment project are still ongoing, and the Chairman recently said that the committee is not able at this time to give a green light to the project. Despite this, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government approved the developers going ahead with the start of construction (chako todoke). Why is the Tokyo Metropolitan Government not taking the Environmental Assessment Committee seriously?

4. Experts say that it is much more environmentally friendly to renovate existing buildings rather than tear them down and build new ones. Was there any analysis done comparing the cost vs. benefits of renovating the Jingu Stadium and Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium rather than rebuilding them?

5. Recently, Miyashita Park in Shibuya was redeveloped and turned into a multi-story shopping mall. The Jingu Gaien redevelopment promotes commercial use of the park. The Tokyo Shimbun recently reported that a similar fate may befall Aoyama Park and Shiba Park. Why does Tokyo want to redevelop parks with high rises and commercial facilities? Shouldn’t Tokyo be increasing greenery rather than filling parks with concrete?

6. The Jingu Gaien redevelopment project was conceived before the coronavirus and the associated wider adoption of remote work. Tokyo currently already has over 6% office space vacancies and the situation is expected to get worse this year as several major developments, such as in Toronomon and Yaesu, are set to open, a phenomenon that people in the real estate industry are calling the “2023 cliff.” Why does it make economic sense to build office towers in Jingu Gaien, sacrificing 1000 trees, in this situation?

7. The New National Stadium built for the Olympics is underused and bleeding red ink, which is a huge burden to taxpayers. Why does it make sense to build another large stadium right next to it? Won’t that just make the problem worse?

8. A Tokyo Shimbun poll last year of Tokyo voters showed 69.5% were against the Jingu Gaien redevelopment project. Isn’t it politically unwise for you to push forward with a project that such a large % of voters are against?

9. Since a year ago the Japan Committee for UNESCO’s International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) has raised numerous concerns with the redevelopment plan for Jingu Gaien, the danger to the gingko avenue, and incorrect analysis of the trees. They have issued various statements and presented official request documents (yobosho) to the Tokyo government. Have you met with anyone from ICOMOS to discuss their concerns?

10. Arrests for corruption in connection with the Tokyo Olympics have been in the headlines. Can you assure us that there has not been any corruption involved in the planning of the Jingu Gaien redevelopment?

11. Two prominent organizations, the Japan Committee for ICOMOS and The New Union of Architects and Engineers, have presented alternative plans for redeveloping Jingu Gaien. Why are those alternatives not being considered?

12. Historic stadiums like Jingu Stadium, including Wrigley Field and Fenway Park in the United States, and Koshien in Japan, have been renovated to modern standards. Why can’t this be done with Jingu Stadium?

13. There are several petitions calling for review of the Jingu Gaien redevelopment plan, together totaling over 150,000 signatures. Have you met with any of the people who set up these petitions?

14. A cross-party group of Diet Members formed late last year to call for revision of the Jingu Gaien redevelopment plan. Have you met with them to discuss their concerns?

15. Here at the FCCJ last week, we heard from an urban planning expert who described in detail how the city’s application of its planning rules in the Jingu Gaien case is inappropriate, specifically the Park Zone Redevelopment District Planning and the Transfer of Development Rights (Air Rights Transfer). He went so far as to call it “an abuse.” What is your response to that accusation?

16. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has referred to the Jingu Gaien redevelopment plan as creating a "sports cluster." However, the redevelopment plan will eliminate several sports facilities used by the public – the batting center, indoor ball practice center, golf practice center, second baseball stadium, softball fields and futsal court. Won’t that make Jingu Gaien less of a "sports cluster"?

17. On the east side of Jingu Gaien’s gingko avenue is an apartment complex operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. As a result of the Jingu Gaien redevelopment project, the distance between the Jingu Stadium and the apartment complex will be cut in half, significantly increasing the noise that the residents are subjected to. Do you think this is fair?

18. A recent paper in the Lancet showed that planting more trees could decrease deaths from higher summer temperatures in cities by a third. And cities around the world have been embarking on tree planting programs. Meanwhile, Tokyo is getting hotter faster than other major cities such as New York. A survey of 40 cities by the World Cities Culture Forum found Tokyo was fourth from last in terms of percentage of green space. If, as you described, Tokyo is taking the environment seriously, why isn’t it planting more trees, and why is it allowing trees to be cut down for park redevelopment projects like Jingu Gaien?

19. In 2013, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government removed the landscape preservation area building height restrictions in Jingu Gaien. The purpose was to make possible the building of the New National Stadium. However, the height restrictions were removed not just at the New National Stadium site, but over all of Jingu Gaien. This is what is making possible the current plan for putting high rises in Jingu Gaien. Why were the height restrictions removed? What is the point of having a landscape preservation area if the rules can be changed by the government at whim?

20. The Jingu Gaien redevelopment project has not yet been given the final approval from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The decision of whether to grant this approval is in your hands. Do you plan to approve the project in its current form?

I would also like to warn you, that based on her behavior at past press conferences and other occasions, that Governor Koike is likely to give you answers that are deflective, full of pretty-sounding advertising copy type phrases, and factually incorrect.

Let me share with you some replies she has given in press conferences and other presentations, and the real information behind them.

When asked about the gingko trees, she will say “they will be preserved.” But the new baseball stadium is being built just a few meters away from the trees, virtually guaranteeing that their roots will be damaged and they will wither. The developers have admitted that they cannot guarantee that the gingko trees will be safe, and it’s a key issue in the Environmental Assessment Committee deliberations which are still ongoing.

She is likely to talk about how the redevelopment will create a “sports cluster”, but in actuality the plan removes sports opportunities from the public, because the batting center, golf practice center, indoor ball practice center, futsal court and softball grounds are being eliminated. Jingu Gaien will be dominated by professional sports stadiums, and the only public sports facility that will remain is a pricey private tennis club for the elite.  

She is also likely to deflect questions about problems with the project by saying “ask Meiji Jingu.” This is her attempt to wriggle out of responsibility for the fact that since the very beginning of project discussions over ten years ago, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has been in cahoots with the developers at every turn promoting this project plan and easing it through bureaucratic hoops. (This includes approving the start of construction even though the Environmental Assessment Committee has not completed its deliberations and feels there are many unresolved issues). Also, Tokyo Assembly Member Akira Harada obtained a document through an information disclosure request describing a 2012 meeting between employees of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and former Prime Minister Mori, in which the employees described the concept for redeveloping the park, and discussed the need to convince Meiji Jingu – proving that the plan was not Meiji Jingu’s in the first place, but rather that they were somehow talked into it after it was conceived.

It also should be remembered that Jingu Gaien was built through the Taisho era equivalent of crowdfunding -- people from all over Japan donated money, and some sent trees. Tens of thousands of people donated their manual labor.  The land was originally owned by the Japanese national government, and given to Meiji Jingu to take care of -- not to build skyscrapers on.

Jingu Gaien is also zoned as a public park by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

At a recent press conference, Koike also claimed of the area to be redeveloped that "basically it's owned by Meiji Jingu." That is not true. A significant portion of the space – where the Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium and public tennis courts are located – are owned by the Japan Sport Council, which is a government entity under the Sports Agency. This means it is owned by the national government, which makes the Jingu Gaien redevelopment project a national issue.  

Journalists, please do your jobs and hold Koike’s feet to the fire, questioning her intensively. Don’t let her weasel out of taking responsibility for the destructive Jingu Gaien development plan. Don’t let her greenwash Tokyo’s many environmental issues and its continued increase in concrete. It’s your responsibility as journalists to go beyond the eco-friendly façade she likes to present!