Thousands sign petition to save 'sacred' Japan stadium where Ruth once played

Mitsui Fudosan Co

17/01/2023 06:27

By Elaine Lies
       TOKYO, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Thousands of baseball fans
have signed a petition to save an iconic Tokyo stadium nearly a
century old where Babe Ruth once played and which inspired
best-selling author Haruki Murakami to first pick up a pen. 
    Meiji Jingu Stadium, often compared to legendary U.S.
baseball venues Wrigley Field and Fenway Park, is slated to be
torn down and rebuilt in a massive redevelopment project that
would surround it and an equally famed rugby ground with
towering skyscrapers and hotels.
    "The citizens of Tokyo are going to regret it," said Robert
Whiting, who has written books on Japanese baseball and who over
the weekend started an online petition to save the stadium,
which "reeks of history."
    "They're going to lose a really beautiful, quiet, relaxing
spot and a great place to watch a baseball game," he told
Reuters.
    Built in 1926, Jingu is home to the Yakult Swallows, a team
that has both plumbed the depths and been five-time national
champions, and has echoed with generations of fervent fans
cheering their team by waving umbrellas and singing - activities
Whiting said might be curtailed in the new stadium. 
    Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig played there in 1934 as part of a
Japanese tour, making the stadium only one of a handful
remaining where Ruth played. 
    Murakami said he was drinking a beer and watching a game in
1978 when he first thought of writing a novel. He bought a pen
and paper on his way home and began writing his first book,
"Hear the Wind Sing," that night.
    Mitsui Fudosan Co Ltd, one of the developers, said that they
were aware of the opposition and taking steps to reflect it, but
that basic development decisions were made by the Tokyo
government. 
    By noon on Tuesday, Whiting's petition, addressed to Tokyo
governor Yuriko Koike and several others, had almost 10,000
signatures.
    "There are so many things that will be lost and could go
wrong if this goes forward," Whiting said. "It's just so sad."
 (Reporting by Elaine Lies. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
 ((elaine.lies@thomsonreuters.com; +81-3-4563-2748; Reuters
Messaging: elaine.lies@thomsonreuters.com))