Yuriko Koike cut the ribbon at the vast complex which will replace the iconic Tsukiji market, a move that has not been popular
As a brass band blared Anchors Aweigh, Tokyo’s governor led Thursday’s opening ceremony for the city’s new fish market and tried to dismiss concerns about contamination at the site that delayed the move from the famous Tsukiji market.
The new Toyosu market will not open for business until October 11, but hundreds of government and fisheries industry officials went to the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the sprawling facility. Wholesale fish sales will end at Tsukiji, which opened in 1935 and became one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions.
After taking a tour of the new facility, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike told the crowd that Toyosu will carry on the “Tsukiji brand”, which represents a food culture loved around the world.
“Safety has been ensured,” she insisted. “Steps have been taken.”
Koike delayed the move scheduled for November 2016 after an inspection found arsenic and other contaminants in the groundwater at the site.
Tsukiji became a favourite tourist spot for its array of tiny sushi restaurants, shops selling Japanese knives and stalls hawking hundreds of species of seafood as well as confectionery.
