Tree-cutting has begun in the Jingu Gaien park district of central Tokyo, a flashpoint for more than a year between environmentalists and real estate interests. Developers led by real-estate Mitsui Fudosan have a 10-year, multi-billion-dollar plan to build three skyscrapers on the coveted land and raze a historical baseball stadium, replacing it with a new stadium. Protesters gathered Monday, asking why trees are being felled in a city that lacks green space and is seeing many parks handed over to commercial interests.
