Government plans to cut down 300 ginkgo and platanus trees lining the streets of Tokyo ahead of the 2020 Olympics have sparked an online opposition campaign seeking to prevent their removal.
Chiyoda no Gairoju wo Mamoru Kai (The Group to Protect Streetside Trees in Chiyoda), a citizens group with connections to Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, launched a petition on Change.org two weeks ago.
The petition has so far garnered more than 38,000 signatures, with many complaining the trees should not be removed for a mere two-week sporting event. They say the trees — a number of which are more than 80 years old — offer a much-needed respite from Tokyo's concrete jungle.