A key part of the Jingu Gaien redevelopment project is switching the locations of Jingu Stadium and Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in order to rebuild them both, which requires an exchange of property rights between their respective owners.
The rugby stadium is owned by the Japan Sport Council (JSC), one of the developers involved in the Jingu Gaien redevelopment project, and thus is public property that belongs to the people of Japan. Its disposal requires approval from the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
A group of concerned experts in architecture, landscape design, urban planning, and environmental studies who are calling for a reconsideration of the Jingu Gaien redevelopment plan will submit a petition to the Minister of Education on July 2. The petition will request that the JSC’s application to dispose of the Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium property as part of the redevelopment project be denied, and that appropriate guidance be issued. A press conference is also planned for the same day.
In connection with this, we have launched an emergency petition to gather support for this request. The deadline for signatures is June 30, and the collected signatures will be submitted along with the petition.
Let’s gather broad support and turn it into a powerful force.
Links:
Petition to the Minister of Education (in Japanese):
https://toriaez-hp.jp/assets/2-1600000013/uploader/MVxBIPPvdJ.pdf
Google Form for signing the petition (in Japanese):
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeNH9gAUJ60DTZ6QywUxHPCoE3KiMAPRSw-T-5V3q6BQOFCdA/viewform
Please use Google Translate if you don't read Japanese. First field is name, second field is organization you belong to, third field asks you to choose your field of specialization -- second from bottom is "general citizen", third field is email address, and last field is for any comments about Jingu Gaien.
In addition to filling this out yourself, please share this with others who may be interested, particularly academics and other relevant experts.
From the press release regarding the petition submission:
We are a group of researchers and university faculty members specializing in architecture, urban planning, and related fields. We have been raising concerns about the Jingu Gaien redevelopment project and appealing to society, developers, and government agencies based on our expertise, calling for the preservation of Jingu Gaien’s cultural and environmental assets and a reconsideration of the redevelopment plans.
Since March 8, 2023, we have submitted three petitions—supported by the signatures of 420 experts in architecture, landscape design, urban planning, and environmental policy—to the Tokyo Governor, the Chair of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, and the Chair of the Environmental Impact Assessment Review Committee. These petitions called for the revocation of the redevelopment approval and the continuation of deliberations on the environmental impact assessment.
This redevelopment project hinges on a land swap (property rights exchange) between the sites of the Jingu Stadium and Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium. While the rugby stadium land was transferred from the national government to the JSC, it remains public property belonging to the people. Before the land exchange can occur, the JSC must receive approval from the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology for the disposal of this property.
Accordingly, our group of experts will submit a formal petition to the Minister of Education requesting that the JSC’s application for property disposal be denied and that the Ministry provide appropriate and fair guidance to the JSC regarding the issues surrounding this redevelopment project.