Photo/Illutration A photograph of the Meiji Jingu Gaien district taken in July shows, from upper center to lower right, Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium, Meiji Jingu Stadium and the former site of Meiji Jingu Stadium No. 2. Ginkgo trees line the street on the left. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Developers facing a barrage of criticism over a project to redevelop Tokyo’s leafy Meiji Jingu Gaien district are now offering to reduce the number of trees to be cut down by about 120 and plant more new trees.

Mitsui Fudosan Co., along with Meiji Jingu shrine, the Japan Sport Council and Itochu Corp., submitted the revised plan to the Tokyo metropolitan government and released it on Sept. 9.

The felling of trees is expected to begin soon if the metropolitan government’s Environmental Impact Assessment Council approves the revised plan.

The 349 billion yen ($2.5 billion) project has faced fierce criticism over the large number of tall trees to be felled.

Critics assert that a precious and valuable environment in central Tokyo will be destroyed and the biodiversity of the area damaged.

The felling of trees has been postponed for nearly a year, partly because the Tokyo metropolitan government in September called on developers to submit concrete measures to preserve the trees.

The project calls for rebuilding Meiji Jingu Stadium, an approximately 100-year-old ballpark, and Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium and erecting two skyscrapers more than 180 meters high by 2036.

Developers originally planned to cut down 743 of the 1,904 existing trees 3 meters or taller and transplant 275 others while newly planting 837 trees, according to Mitsui Fudosan.

Under the revised plan announced Sept. 9, the number of trees to be cut down has been reduced by 124, including 66 that will be maintained where they stand and others to be transplanted elsewhere within the area.

As additional new trees will be planted, the number of tall trees will increase to 2,304 after the redevelopment, according to the revised plan.

The Gaien district, a haven for office workers and others throughout the year, is famed for its four rows of 146 ginkgo trees about 30 meters high, which date from 1923.

There were concerns that the relocated ballpark, which will stand along the ginkgo-lined street, will adversely affect their growth.

Developers said they will expand the distance from the ballpark to about 18.3 meters, from the originally planned 8 meters, to better protect the roots of the ginkgo trees.

Construction work on the project started in March last year after it was approved by the Tokyo metropolitan government.

Opponents include the Japanese National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), an advisory body to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The committee has issued a Heritage Alert to call for the conservation of cultural heritage at risk.

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