A group of citizens who oppose the planned construction of a bike-racing ticket office in the Shimbashi district of Tokyo's Minato Ward filed lawsuits Jan. 29, demanding that the project's promoters and the Ministry of International Trade and Industry suspend the plan.Four suits, two against the builders and two against the ministry, were filed with the Tokyo District Court by a group of 634 people seeking to halt the project. Shimbashi Shoji Co. and Satellite Japan Co. applied to the ministry in October for permission to build Satellite Shimbashi, a 10-story building in front of JR Shimbashi Station in which bike racing tickets would be sold. The ministry approved the project in two days.Shu Akashi, representative of the plaintiffs, said that the facility would cause trash problems and illegal parking to increase in the area and unfavorably influence children. "We want to prevent our environment from deteriorating and negatively affecting generations to come," he said.Construction is scheduled to begin in April.
