PRESS CONFERENCE

How to save Jingu Gaien's trees from redevelopment plans

Yasuyoshi Okada, President, Japan National Commission for the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)
Mikiko Ishikawa, Director, Japan National Commission for the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)

14:00-15:00 Wednesday, October 9, 2024
Language:The speech and Q & A will be in English or Japanese with English interpretation.
 

Jingu Gaien, a wooded area that covers 3.4 hectares in the middle of Tokyo, is being redeveloped to accommodate three high-rise buildings and newly built rugby and baseball stadiums, part of a megaproject that has raised widespread concern that thousands of trees and the scenic beauty of the Jingu Gaien area will be lost.

The developers – Mitsui Fudosan, Meiji Jingu Shrine, the Japan Sports Council and Itochu – claim that they are committed to protecting and preserving the trees for future generations. 

But the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the pre-eminent organization representing professionals involved in conserving cultural heritage worldwide and an advisory body to the 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention, has warned that the redevelopment project "will lead to the complete destruction of the urban forest that has been formed and nurtured over the past 100 years."

ICOMOS has issued a Heritage Alert – its highest expression of concern – and has called on the developers to immediately halt the project.

Representatives of the Japan National Commission for ICOMOS will talk about the threat to Jingu Gaien and their alternative proposals for redeveloping the area without felling hundreds of trees.

How to attend: 
Please register at front@fccj.or.jp with your name, the name of your media outlet, and FCCJ membership number. Doors open 15 minutes before the event. Please sign in and giving your name and contact details at the reception. 

How to watch online: https://www.youtube.com/c/FCCJchannel/live 

How to ask questions: https://forms.gle/j3S4cxxbgTXYPKis9

TV crew: Please make a reservation at front@fccj.or.jp. Doors open for TV crews only at 30 minutes before the event. 

Professional Activities Committee