Arab News Japan

TOKYO: About 300 activists and local citizens protested the felling of trees around Jingu Baseball Stadium in central Tokyo on Sunday.

The protest was organized by the “Save Jingu Gaien Association,” whose supporters denounced the redevelopment of the Meiji Jingu Gaien Park and the felling of century-old trees.

Early on Sunday afternoon, the activists formed a human chain around the baseball stadium.

Several foreign and Japanese activists told Arab News that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government had failed to address their grievances by only belatedly releasing details of the real estate deal involving Mitsubishi Juko and Mitsui Fudosan.

The movement against the redevelopment of the park received the support of internationally famous musician SAKAMOTO Ryuichi, who died recently.

At the end of the demonstration MORI Ai, a former politician who belonged to the Tokyo Citizen First political party, came to support the demonstrators.