Thank you to everyone who followed or supported today’s press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan (FCCJ) on the Jingu Gaien redevelopment. The event was a success, drawing strong interest from both domestic and international journalists.

Our three speakers — Yoshiko Kira, Member of the House of Councillors; Akira Harada, Member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly; and Robert Whiting, author and journalist — each shed light on different aspects of this deeply troubling project.

Yoshiko Kira spoke about the national government’s responsibility, questioning the Ministry of Education’s recent rushed approval of the property disposal paves the way for the project.  Kira underscored that the government has failed in its duties to protect culture, promote sports, preserve the environment, and ensure democratic accountability to citizens.

Akira Harada revealed how the Jingu Gaien redevelopment project was born from deep collusion among political, bureaucratic, and corporate interests. He explained the highly irregular procedures that have pushed forward a plan to build dense high rise commercial buildings in an area zoned as a public park.
Robert Whiting provided historical and cultural context, describing what will be lost if Jingu Gaien, the birthplace of Japanese baseball history and a rare urban green space, is sacrificed for commercial gain.

You can watch the full recording of the press conference here:
🎥 FCCJ YouTube Recording https://www.youtube.com/live/M4ZAE6M-CRg?si=KiDik4Y12kF0p-LF

Presentation materials from the event can be downloaded here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/w1fscuyci8rg70jcvaa9s/FCCJ-10-30-slides-FINAL.pdf?rlkey=mcb7mr4iphol1bdafe2cxlapm&st=930fn8sn&dl=0

Our sincere thanks to Kira-sensei, Harada-sensei, and Robert Whiting for their clear and courageous statements — and to all of you for your continued interest and support as we work to protect Jingu Gaien’s trees, heritage, and public trust.