Ultra-conservative Involved in Policy Change

Former Governor of Tokyo and ultra-conservative politician, Shintaro Ishihara, is focused on as a key person on secret policy change in building new fish market in Toyosu. Although he had denied relation with the maneuver, Ishihara later admitted that he ordered his staffs to consider alternative plan. As its result, constructor built empty space surrounded by concrete under new Toyosu Fish Market after removing contaminated soil, instead of accumulating fresh soil. Ishihara must have known that the alternative plan was ongoing.

Three days after current Governor, Yuriko Koike, announced that no accumulation of fresh soil was found, Ishihara denied his relation to the plan of constructing empty space under the market, saying “I had not heard of it. I was deceived.” When Tokyo Shimbun revealed two days later that Ishihara referred to the plan of building empty space in his press conference in 2008, he explained that he simply transferred information about the plan to his staff. Then, two more days later, Ishihara admitted the relation to the plan, saying “After hearing from experts, I recommended considering the plan.

Captain of Tokyo Central Wholesale Market, Hideto Hiruma, who was responsible for moving Tsukiji Market to Toyosu, endorsed Ishihara’s explanation, revealing that Ishihara ordered Hiruma to consider the plan in 2008. However, Hiruma told news reporters that he refused the plan of building empty space because of high cost. It contradicted Ishihara’s explanation which assessed the plan to be cheaper than accumulating fresh soil. So, who promoted the plan of building empty space? That is a big question.

Asahi Shimbun reported that former Vice-Governor of Tokyo in between October 2013 and June this year, Nobuhiro Maeda, did not know about the plan of empty space until last year. Maeda did not realize negative element of the plan, because his staffs explained that it was approved by experts who had been discussing the technological method in the moving of market.

Mainichi Shimbun reported that one of the officers of Tokyo Metropolitan Government explained the empty space under Toyosu Fish Market as reserving area for dealing with possible contamination found in underground of the market. If contamination is appeared in the future, Tokyo Government will need to remove the soil. The empty space was recognized as the place for digging out the soil with power shovels. The empty space looks to be designed for that operation.