Photo/Illutration Tokyo’s Jingu Gaien area, where redevelopment is planned (Tatsuya Shimada)

The campaign against a controversial project to redevelop Tokyo’s Jingu Gaien area gained strong support from one of the most celebrated bands in the country.

In a new song released on Sept. 4, the Southern All Stars called for reconsideration of the project that involves 17.5 hectares of leafy area in the heart of the capital.

Keisuke Kuwata, the band’s lead singer, said the new single, “Relay--The song of the forest,” is meant to carry on the legacy of the late musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, who strongly opposed the project.

“Sakamoto tried to raise public awareness on many issues (including the Jingu Gaien project,) and you can say this song is inspired by his efforts,” Kuwata said on a Tokyo FM radio show he hosts.

Kuwata said that he was not really following the news about the redevelopment project until Sakamoto's passing in March.

“(After learning about Sakamoto’s campaign against the project), I did some research about it myself and realized that something important was being lost,” said Kuwata. “That’s how the song’s lyrics came to be.”

The straightforward protest song includes lines such as, “Someone was lamenting the disappearance of a beautiful forest,” “Is a lovely oasis turning into an asphalt jungle?” “Are we allowed to block the sky with a future city?”

The song concludes with the line, “Let’s relay his will, I love this forest.”

A month before his death, Sakamoto sent a letter to Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, urging her to halt and reassess the project.

Campaigners say the plans to replace more than 700 trees with new ones and build two skyscrapers will damage the environment and landscape.

Having recorded songs at a studio near the Jingu Gaien area for many years, Kuwata said the neighborhood holds special meaning for him.

“I wrote this song thinking about my beloved hometown,” he said.

Celebrating its 45th anniversary this year, the band has released three new songs in three months, with the latest being the conclusion of the trilogy.

The lyrics of the third song were posted on the band’s official website on Sept. 3.

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