As an action to focus attention on the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)'s role in the Jingu Gaien redevelopment plan and demand revision of the plan, we will gather in front of the MEXT headquarters building on Sunday, September 17, at 1:00 p.m. to stand in the form of a human chain.

MEXT Human Chain & Standing Demonstration
Sunday, September 17, 1 to 2 pm
Meet at Exit 6 of Toranomon Station
1:00-1:20 Form a human chain (if we have enough people we will encircle the block where the MEXT building is)
1:20-1:50 Photo taking, singing Southern All Star's Jingu Gaien protest song "Relay - Mori no Uta" and the Save Jingu Gaien song Don't Cut Me Down etc.
1:50 - 2:00 Summarize
2:00 End

Please come wearing SAVE JINGU GAIEN T-shirts and/or other green clothing.
Also please bring banners and placards (specifically mentioning MEXT Minister Masahito Moriyama will be good). Foreign media will be covering the event, so placards in English will be effective.

Background to this demonstration:

Some people, including Governor Koike, like to emphasize that the entire Jingu Gaien redevelopment area is the private property of the Meiji Shrine, but actually that is not the case. The Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium and the adjacent tennis courts for public use are owned by the Japan Sports Council (JSC), an independent administrative agency under the jurisdiction of (MEXT). Since JSC is one of the redevelopment partners, the Jingu Gaien redevelopment project would not be possible without its agreement and cooperation. Thus, the redevelopment of Jingu Gaien is an issue that should be addressed at the national level.

The planned new rugby stadium, which will be owned by the JSC, is designed to prioritize concerts and other events. The number of spectator seats will be drastically reduced from 25,000 to 15,000, a 40% decrease, and the field will be artificial turf, which poses dangers to rugby players. The roof, added to promote concert usage, is not in keeping with the traditions of rugby. It will be a rugby stadium in name only, and is inconsistent with the JSC's mission to promote sports.

Another important point is that the redevelopment of Jingu Gaien is based on the premise that the land for the rugby and baseball stadiums will be swapped, so a conversion of land rights between JSC and Meiji Shrine is required. The conversion of the rights means that the JSC will be giving up a very high-priced piece of land near Aoyama-dori (the current Prince Chichibu Rugby Stadium) for a lower-priced piece of land farther away from Aoyama-dori (the current No. 2 baseball stadium). This will result in the loss of value of taxpayer-funded public property, which we believe is not in the interest of Japan's taxpayers.

With experts harshly criticizing the problems with the environmental assessment, and with many celebrities speaking out one after another and expressing their concerns about the redevelopment project, MEXT needs to be taking this issue seriously, rather than its stance of unattachment up until now.

In April of this year, Keiko Nagaoka, who was then Minister of MEXT, stated in response to a question about Jingu Gaien in the Diet, "We believe that the redevelopment project should be handled appropriately by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Shinjuku Ward and Minato Ward in consultation with the landowners and other related businesses." However, the Heritage Alert warning, issued by the UNESCO organization the International Committee on Monuments of Sites Headquarters on September 7, was also sent to the MEXT, and its fifth item states, "The national government should promote the application of appropriate measures in collaboration with various stakeholders, rather than making this an issue for Tokyo alone." 

Masahito Moriyama has just been appointed as the new MEXT minister, following the cabinet reshuffle on September 13. We would like to see him take a more responsible and proactive approach to the Jingu Gaien issue.

Following this protest, on the 25th, we plan to submit a written request to MEXT on behalf of the supporters of this signature.