A redevelopment plan for the historic Meiji Jingu Gaien district in central Tokyo has faced pushback since its unveiling last year.
Developers and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government say the goal of the project is to ensure the century-old cluster of sports and recreation facilities, museums and greenery is usable, safe and attractive to visitors for the long term. But opponents say the plan hasn’t sufficiently taken into account environmental, cultural and stakeholder considerations.
The parts of the project that have drawn the most attention are the potential loss of green space and felling of thousands of trees, as well as a significant threat to historic gingko trees, with this drawing not only criticism from activists but also the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).