Tree cutting begins for Tokyo’s controversial Jingu Gaien redevelopment

Tree cutting began Monday for a controversial redevelopment plan in Tokyo’s leafy Jingu Gaien area, developers involved in the project said.

The move went ahead despite opposition from conservation advocates after the Tokyo metropolitan government accepted a revised plan put forward last week by its main developer Mitsui Fudosan Co., that will see fewer trees cut down.

Dozens of people protested the felling as it began in the area famous for its ginkgo tree-lined avenue after it was originally meant to start last fall.

The project was postponed after pushback from prominent figures, including late Japanese composer and musician Ryuichi Sakamoto and the International Council on Monuments and Sites, a UNESCO advisory body.

In September last year, the Tokyo government asked the developer to compile measures to conserve the trees, and the company put forward the revised plan last month.

The new plan reduces the number of trees measuring 3 meters in height or more to be cut down to 619 from 743 and ensures a new baseball stadium will be built 18 meters from the ginkgo avenue rather than the previous 8 meters.

The impact of the changes on the project’s scheduled completion in 2036 is still under review.

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