The early stages of a mammoth redevelopment project are under way on what is considered “the last prime plot of land in central Tokyo.”

An archaeological survey is now in progress for possible cultural properties buried at the former site of the Tsukiji fish market.

Developers are also preparing to compile a draft environmental impact statement needed before they can proceed with the full-scale work.

And for the longer term, local governments, fearing congestion problems from the redevelopment plans are floating measures to disperse the expected crowds.

Seven years after the Tsukiji fish market closed, the developers announced a master plan for the site in August.

Some facilities are expected to open on a provisional basis as an information hub in fiscal 2026.

Main construction will begin in fiscal 2028, with completed facilities scheduled to open from the first half of the 2030s.

That, in a nutshell, is the master plan.

PRIME LOCATION

The Tokyo metropolitan government owns the entire redevelopment district, which covers about 19 hectares, or four times the size of the Tokyo Dome.

The site faces the Sumidagawa river, which flows into Tokyo Bay, and is adjacent to the historic Hama-rikyu Gardens across the Tsukijigawa river.

Within walking distance of Ginza, the area adjoins the restaurant-rich Tsukiji Outer Market and is near Shin-Ohashi dori (Metropolitan Route 50) and Circular Route 2.

“There will probably be no more redevelopment projects of this scale in central Tokyo,” a Tokyo metropolitan government official said.

900-BILLION-YEN PROJECT

The developers consist of 11 companies led by Mitsui Fudosan Co., which is responsible for development and operations, as well as Toyota Fudosan Co. and The Yomiuri Shimbun Group.

Cooperating companies include Toyota Motor Corp. and The Asahi Shimbun Co., whose head office is nearby.

The plan is to lease the land from the metropolitan government for 70 years to carry out the project. Total costs are estimated at around 900 billion yen ($5.8 billion).

The master plan’s concepts are “the coexistence, harmony and development of nature and the city” and “the creation of social value.”

The project aims to promote the “rebirth of Tokyo as a water metropolis” by using waterfront spaces and boat transport.

It also aims to “strengthen international competitiveness” by inheriting food culture in collaboration with the Tsukiji Outer Market while fostering exchanges and hospitality.

Under the master plan, nine buildings will be erected on the site, with an indoor, all-weather stadium that can hold 50,000 people located near the center.

The stadium will host various sports events, concerts and exhibitions. Seven high-rise towers, 150 to 200 meters tall, are planned around the stadium.

These will be mixed-use buildings containing research facilities, an international conference center, hotels, residences, offices and shops.

The hotels are expected to have a total of 800 to 1,000 guest rooms.

Of the 600 to 800 residential units planned, about 80 percent of them will be rental housing or furnished serviced apartments.

“We are primarily envisioning rentals for foreign researchers,” a Mitsui Fudosan executive said.

In addition, a complex combining facilities, such as a theater hall, will serve as a hub for culture and the arts. It will be accessible by water transportation.

Shin Aiba, a professor at Tokyo Metropolitan University who is an expert in urban planning, said the redevelopment project will have a major impact on Tokyo.

“I feel that as housing construction proceeds one after another in Tokyo, there has been insufficient attention paid to industry,” Aiba said. “The Tsukiji redevelopment plans include hospitality facilities, life sciences and hotels, and I think it is a good ‘answer’ to the challenge.”

ARCHEOLOGICAL FINDS

The Tokyo Metropolitan Archaeological Center has been conducting a full-scale dig at the redevelopment site since July. The study is expected to continue until 2028.

The area was originally land reclaimed in the early Edo Period (1603-1867). It has transitioned from samurai residences to naval-related facilities and then to the central wholesale market.

A “trial dig” began in January 2021, and the center has published eight reports to date.

Numerous artifacts from the Edo Period to the Showa Era (1926-1989) have been unearthed, including relics like small bowls and cups, and the remains of a brick-built sewer system.

The area was also the site of Yokuon-en, a strolling garden created by the shogun’s chief councilor, Sadanobu Matsudaira (1759-1829), who promoted the Kansei Reforms of the late Edo Period.

The metropolitan government has, in fact, designated the area as a “historic site” for preservation and protection.

For this reason, a focused preliminary survey was conducted to grasp the situation.

According to a report compiled in March 2023, a “stone revetment of the pond” located within Yokuon-en was confirmed.

RISING COSTS

Since late August, large tents have been successively set up in the area.

The developers explained on their website that the tents are needed for further studies after “a metropolitan government survey revealed soil contamination by mercury.”

The developers’ draft environmental impact statement will include the results of its own environmental assessment survey and conservation methods.

The Tokyo metropolitan environmental impact assessment council will analyze the statement.

The metropolitan government initially estimated the total costs for the archaeological survey and soil contamination cleanup would be about 20 billion yen.

However, after a detailed review based on the developers’ master plan, the government revised the expense forecast in September to 145 billion yen.

Removal costs for buried piles and rising prices for materials are said to have had an impact.

LOCAL CONCERNS

Tokyo’s Chuo Ward is concerned about congestion and traffic jams from the redevelopment.

As a measure to disperse the flow of people, the developers plan to install three pedestrian decks on the adjacent Shin-Ohashi dori.

But after a large-scale event at the stadium, for example, a massive wave of people could still surge into the nearby Tsukijishijo subway station on the Toei Oedo Line.

In September, Chuo Ward compiled its own proposal to further extend one of the pedestrian decks and build an underpass to the Higashi-Ginza subway station, which is served by the Toei Asakusa Line and the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line.

Regarding the surrounding transportation network, there are plans to extend the Metropolitan Expressway No. 10 Harumi Line and develop an interchange.

A new station on a planned subway line near the redevelopment district has also been suggested.

However, Chuo Ward Vice Mayor Uzumi Yoshida pointed out, “The delay (in commercialization) is considerable.”

The developers said they will establish an organization comprising experts and local residents to create a mechanism for vitalizing the entire district, including the Tsukiji Outer Market, in an integrated manner.

“We must also consider a mechanism for successful coexistence with the adjacent outer market,” Yoshida said.

He said he will convey the voices of local residents and the ward’s requests to the developers in hopes of planning urban development together.

(This article was written by Naoki Nakayama, Masashi Kisanuki and Isamu Nikaido.)