We now have over 47,000 signatures and the momentum continues. Also we have press coverage from Tokyo Minpo (link below).

The formal request letter to Tokyo Governor Koike is now prepared, please see the text below. Now planning when to submit it.

Please keep spreading the word so that more and more people will know about this petition!

REQUEST LETTER

On February 15th, the petition “Yuriko Koike: Protect Jingu Gaien's trees! Rethink the development plan!” was launched, and in the ### weeks since that time over ### people have signed it.

This huge response shows that the public is very concerned about the redevelopment plan for the Jingu Gaien area and the associated felling of approximately 1,000 trees.

The ### people who signed the petition request that Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike not give final approval to the redevelopment plan for the Jingu Gaien area, which was approved by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Urban Planning Council on February 9. On top of that, we request that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government should conduct detailed explanatory meetings, listening sessions and discussions with the public, something which it has not done so far. In particular, we strongly request the following:

(1) An explanation of the essential elements of this plan, i.e., its public benefit to the citizens of Tokyo, and why it is necessary and economically viable.

(2) An explanation of the expected impact on the environment and the measures that will be taken to reduce it.

(3) Disclosure of information about the plan, and implementation of a democratic process to collect and respond to the opinions and concerns of citizens.

(4) Acceptance of the recommendations of ICOMOS and the taking of all possible measures to preserve the historical urban heritage and existing trees.

After taking the above into consideration, the proposed plan should be re-examined and revised appropriately, and the project should be recreated so that it is truly consistent with current needs and emphasis on SDGs.

Necessity for public interest and economic viability

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has labeled the current baseball stadium and rugby stadium “obsolete”, but are they really? Is it not enough to renovate them? And why is it necessary to switch the locations of the baseball and rugby stadiums?

And are new larger facilities truly needed when the newly built huge National Stadium is literally right next door?

With Japan’s population decline in full swing, it is said that high-rise buildings and facilities may soon become non-performing assets. To avoid leaving a negative legacy of huge deficits for future generations, there should be an analysis of the projected use and the associated economic viability of the planned new facilities.

We also note that this redevelopment plan for the Jingu Gaien area was conceived before the COVID-19 pandemic, and it does not appear to reflect any of the major changes in human activity that have occurred over the past two years. Companies are shifting to remote and hybrid work, and as a result, offices are being downsized or eliminated altogether. People's movement patterns have changed, and in Tokyo, the outflow of residents has exceeded inflow. It is unlikely that society will return to the same way it was before the pandemic. Thus, the necessity of the planned hotels and commercial facilities needs to be re-evaluated.

Climate change due to global warming will become an increasingly serious issue for the urban environment. To what extent will the planned high-rise buildings be able to withstand disasters such as earthquakes and huge storms? Leaving a large area of green space in the city center is effective as a disaster prevention measure. In fact, the Jingu Gaien area was used as a housing area for a large number of victims of the Great Kanto Earthquake.

The opinions and requests of the current users of the park facilities, including baseball and rugby fans, should also be collected, and considered. We hope that the redevelopment plan takes their needs into consideration and responds to them.

There is also an issue of fairness. A significant amount of space in the center of the park will be allocated to tennis courts for an expensive private club, resulting in the elimination of popular public facilities such as the softball field and golf driving range, and the loss of many trees.

There has been no proper public discussion about such trade-offs that are inherent in the current plan. Also, no information has been shared about the current usage rates of the park facilities and whether there are any alternatives to the facilities that will be eliminated.

The signers of this petition believe that information on all of the above matters should be shared with the public in a transparent manner, that there be ample opportunity for public discussion and input, and that appropriate changes and modifications should be made to the plan as a result.

Environmental Impact and Trees

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is trying to justify this redevelopment plan with vague phrases such as "increasing the percentage of greenery" and "in line with the SDGs," but no concrete explanation has been provided about the expected environmental impact of this plan.

It is obvious that adding high-rise buildings and huge structures to an area that is currently a peaceful park environment, and reducing the number of trees, will result in huge CO2 emissions.

In addition, the nearly 1,000 trees that are likely to be cut down include large trees that are 100 years old. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has said that it will transplant the trees, but it has not explained where and how it will transplant the more than one hundred large trees. In reality, transplanting trees can be quite damaging them, and in the end could end up being the same as if they were cut down.  Similarly, the public is expected to be reassured by hearing that “new trees will be planted”, yet a small new tree in no way can be considered a one-to-one replacement for a large old tree. Greenery can’t be properly measured by a simple percentage figure. Trees, especially those in Jingu Gaien, are an urban heritage that should be protected.

The signers of this petition are not at all convinced by the vague and evasive explanations. We call for a revision of the plan that ensures that the existing trees are preserved.

Clear public review and comment process

The fact that this redevelopment plan for the Jingu Gaien area relies heavily on the plans put forth by a private company is one of the reasons for the lack of transparency and fairness. At the root of the problems mentioned above is the fact that the plan is being rushed forward in a hasty way without sufficient information disclosure and without exchange of opinions and discussions with the public. The public needs to be given the opportunity to have input on matters that directly affect them. This is a matter of public governance. Public participation is essential, especially for decisions that involve cutting down many trees and making major changes to a park that is a beloved historical site.

We hope that this redevelopment plan for the Jingu Gaien area can be used to create a process that is a new model for how the government should interact with citizens in regard to urban planning projects. Tokyo could become a model of open government by disclosing information to the public and implementing a process that allows for open discussion. We urge you Governor Koike to use this project as an opportunity to change the way the Tokyo Metropolitan Government interacts with the public.

The ### signatories of this petition request a moratorium on the Jingu Gaien redevelopment project so that the above matters can be treated openly as a public issues and the needs and desires of the citizens can be properly reflected. We request Governor Koike to not approve the current plan, and instead act to resolve the above issues.