Japan Govt OKs Opening of Tokyo’s Toyosu Market

September 11, 2018

Tokyo- Japanese Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Ken Saito on Monday approved the opening of the Toyosu new wholesale food market in Tokyo's Koto Ward to succeed the iconic but aging Tsukiji market in neighboring Chuo Ward in the capital.

The approval was given under the wholesale market law. The Tokyo metropolitan government will open the Toyosu market on Oct. 11, about two years later than originally scheduled.

In talks with reporters, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike showed her resolve to speed up preparations for the launch of the Toyosu market. "We'll work with local communities and industry groups to foster the Toyosu market into a core market in Tokyo," she said.

In August 2016, Koike announced her decision to postpone the market relocation, planned for November the same year. Later, it was found that soil replacement work as a pollution control measure had not been carried out for some facilities at the Toyosu market, a former gas plant site. Instead, concrete-walled empty basements were found to have been constructed under the buildings.

The Tokyo government has since implemented additional safety work at the Toyosu site.

In July this year, Koike declared that the market site is safe. Last month, the metropolitan government filed for the fisheries minister's approval for the relocation of the wholesale market to Toyosu from Tsukiji.

On Thursday, the Tokyo government will hold a ceremony to celebrate the upcoming launch of the Toyosu market. The Tsukiji market will end its operations on Oct. 6 for the full start of work for moving to Toyosu. Jiji Press