A former Tokyo deputy governor on Monday again denied allegations that he falsely testified about his role in relocating Tokyo’s…
TOKYO —
A former Tokyo deputy governor on Monday again denied allegations that he falsely testified about his role in relocating Tokyo’s famed Tsukiji fish market to a site subject to environmental safety concerns.
Takeo Hamauzu, a Tokyo deputy governor from 2000 to 2005, is under fire for comments made while testifying as a sworn witness on March 19 before a Tokyo metropolitan government special investigation committee.
Hamauzu was a close aide of former Tokyo Gov Shintaro Ishihara, who gave the green light to the relocation plan in 2001.
Speaking at a press conference Monday, Hamauzu reiterated that his involvement in the issue ended when the Tokyo government reached a basic agreement with Tokyo Gas Co in July 2001 to acquire the land previously occupied by a gas production plant. The Tokyo government purchased the land in 2011.
“I did not conduct any negotiations” after the basic agreement was reached, Hamauzu said. “Officials in charge of the market issue may have come to brief me, but I did not issue any instructions.
