YOKOHAMA -- Just above the junction of the Tsurumi and Toriyama rivers lies a fenced-off area that looks like a simple abandoned lot.
The site was like any other until the end of November -- when it was made public that it is highly contaminated by chemicals that pose a risk to both wildlife and people -- as freshly erected signs warn passersby.
In May, the Construction Ministry's local office unwittingly came upon high levels of dioxin and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in soil on the northeastern edge of land wedged between the two rivers, near Shin-Yokohama Station.