Photo/Illutration A rendering of the new Chichibunomiya rugby stadium (© Scrum for Shin-Chichibunomiya. Provided by the Japan Sport Council)

The Japan Sport Council on Aug. 22 announced that it has awarded a contract to a corporate group led by Kajima Corp. to build a new stadium to replace the iconic Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium in central Tokyo.

The JSC, an external body of the sports ministry that manages and operates the existing Chichibunomiya stadium, also known as Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Stadium, had been soliciting a business operator to construct and manage a new stadium through open bidding.

Three groups participated in the bidding process.

The winner was a group called “Scrum for Shin-Chichibunomiya.”

The group is led by Kajima, a construction giant, and its members include Mitsui Fudosan Co., Tokyo Dome Corp., Tokyo Tatemono Co., MHS Planners, The Yomiuri Shimbun’s Tokyo Headquarters, Nippon Television Network Corp., Avex Entertainment, Nippon Broadcasting System Inc., SoftBank Corp. and Sohgo Security Services Co. (ALSOK).

The group’s bid was 8.1 billion yen ($60 million), the lowest among the three bidders, according to the JSC.

The new stadium construction is part of a large-scale redevelopment plan for the Meiji Jingu Gaien district.

Under the group’s proposed plan, the new stadium’s capacity will be about 15,000 for a rugby game, smaller than the capacity of the existing Chichibunomiya stadium.

For other types of events, the capacity of the new stadium will be about 20,000, the group said.

Spectator stands will be located on three sides of the stadium, while a large screen will be placed on the remaining side.

The new stadium will be built on the site where the Jingu Sub Stadium currently stands.

Groundbreaking for the new stadium is scheduled in 2024. It will be placed into service at the end of 2027.