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TOKYO — Miho Nakashima stood in a two-piece swimsuit in Tokyo on Sunday next to a 100-year-old ginkgo tree, her body painted from head to toe with green leaves and brown branches.
His message was clear and he repeated it in the heart of the Jingu Gaien Park area, whose sanctity is threatened by a disputed real estate development plan.
“I am a tree,” he said. “Do not cut me”.
A plan approved earlier this year by Governor Yuriko Koike would allow developers, led by Mitsui Fudosan, to build a pair of 200-meter (650-foot) skyscrapers on Jingu Gaien, cutting down trees in one of Tokyo’s few green areas. and razing and rebuilding a historic rugby union venue and adjoining baseball stadium.
Takayuki Nakamura, one of hundreds who gathered Sunday to protest, pressed his face against the bark of a tree and prayed. The area was set aside 100 years ago to honor the Meiji Emperor of Japan.
“I want to appreciate the existence of these trees. Sometimes I can feel some sounds inside,” she said.
The planned redevelopment would take more than a decade to complete and has drawn lawsuits with growing opposition from conservationists, civic groups, local residents and sports fans.
Eighteen ginkgo trees are likely to be felled behind the rugby stadium.
The flashpoint has been trees, green spaces, and who controls a public area that has been encroached upon over the years. Also at stake is the fate of more than 100 ginkgo trees that line an avenue in the area and provide a colorful cascade of falling leaves each autumn. Botanists say that any construction is bound to cause damage.
Critics say the plan has been forced through despite a failed environmental assessment, as developers take what was intended to be public land and turn it into a private commercial venture.
The famous Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami opposed the plan. And composer and musician Ryuichi Sakamoto sent an open letter to Koike mocking the plan just days before his death on March 28.
The rugby stadium was used during the 1964 Olympic Games, and Babe Ruth played in the 1934 baseball stadium alongside other American stars against Japan’s best players.
The project highlights the links between the main players: the governor, Mitsui Fudosan, and Meiji Jingu, a religious organization that owns much of the land to be redeveloped.
“The redevelopment of the park is obviously a public issue,” Koichi Nakano, a political scientist at Sophia University, told The Associated Press earlier this year. “At the same time, they (politicians) can claim that this is a private decision of a religious organization and promoters.
“But since Jingu Gaien is also a public park with sports facilities, politicians can (and do) meddle in decisions. Resulting in cozy and likely collusive relationships between insiders who are not accountable to the public.”
About 1,500 trees were felled in the same area to build the stadium for the Tokyo Olympics, valued at 1.4 billion dollars. The Olympics also allowed the city to change zoning laws, which may allow developers to further encroach on the park area.
“This is like building skyscrapers in the middle of Central Park in New York,” Mikiko Ishikawa, a professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo, told The Associated Press.
The promoters have argued that the two sports facilities cannot be renovated and must be demolished.
However, Koshien Stadium near Kobe, built in 1924, has been under renovation for the last 15 years, in the same way that Fenway Park (1912) in Boston and Wrigley Field (1914) in Chicago remain viable for two of the most famous MLB stadiums. equipment.
The Meiji Kinenkan, a historic reception hall, dates from 1881 and is still in extensive use at Jingu Gaien with no demand for demolition.
“The development companies are trying to cut down more trees and create a huge commercial area,” Nakashima said as a leaf was painted on his cheek. “The park has a very long history and should be saved.”
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AP Sports: https://apnews.com/sports
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