31 March 2014
The Honorable Thomas Bach, President
The International Olympic Committee
Chateau de Vidy
Case postale 356
1001 Lausanne (IOC), Switzerland

Dear President Bach:I am writing on behalf of the Custodians of the National Stadium, an alliance ofvoluntary citizens’ groups concerned with Tokyo’s cultural and environmental
preservation, to request that you ask the Tokyo Organizing Committee of theOlympic and Paralympic Games to revise the plans for the 2020 Olympic Stadium.
We understand that your Committee wisely adopted the Olympic Movement’s
Agenda 21 at its June 1999 Session in Seoul. In the document’s foreword, the then
IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch said: “For its part, the IOC undertakes touse all its influence to achieve the objectives outlined in the Olympic Movement’sAgenda 21.” Paragraph 3.2.3 Sports facilities specifically stipulates: “The creation of
new sports facilities must be confined to cases in which demand cannot be satisfied
by using or renovating existing facilities.”
Regrettably, the Japan Sports Council (JSC), the administrator of the existing
national stadium, has violated the Agenda 21, paragraphs 3.1.6, 3.2.2, and 3.2.3 byplanning new facilities as the main venue of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic
Games. The proposed 70 meters-high 80,000 capacity new stadium will inevitably
destroy the historic Jingu Gaien district landscaped in 1926 in harmony with theverdant Meiji Shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji. Jingu Gaien is an oasis for Tokyo
for residents and visitors, both Japanese and non-Japanese.
Beginning in August 2013, many architects, including the 1993 Pritzker
Architecture Prize winner Fumihiko Maki, have openly criticized the JSC’s plan.
In November our group began organizing forums and wrote to the JSC demanding
an explanation of the plan’s legitimacy in light of environmental conservation andsustainability. We strongly supported House of Councilors member Yoshifu Arita
when he questioned the plan at the House’s Budget Committee’s March 2, 2014session. We also have submitted written petitions to Tokyo Governor Yoichi
Masuzoe and Japanese Olympic Committee President Tsunekazu Takeda,
requesting that they comply with the recommendations of the Olympic Movement’s
Agenda 21 and act to stop the proposed new stadium construction.
Unfortunately, we have received only lukewarm responses from JSC and otherauthorities. We call your attention to the Japanese authorities’ failure to addressenvironmental and sustainability considerations. We respectfully ask you to urge
them to promptly revise the plan, taking your own guidelines on environment, local
context, and sustainability into account.

We believe the revision in accordance with the IOC’s guidelines will both ensure thesuccess of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games and achieve asustainable future for all.
Very truly yours,

Nobuko ShimizuCo-chair
The Custodians of the National Stadium, Tokyo
URL=http://2020-tokyo.sakura.ne.jp/

Fax Transmission
From : The Custodians of the NationalStadium, Tokyo
Nobuko Shimizu, Co-chair
FAX: +81 3 6380 8812
E-m ail:
info@2020-tokyo.sakura.ne.jp

To:Fax:The International Olympic Committee+41 21 621 62 16Games
3Date: 31 March 2014
Subject: 2020 Olympic and Paralympic
N o. of pages including this cover sheet:

Dear Sirs:
Please find attached an important letter addressed to President Thomas Bach. The
physical letter, now on its way by post, should arrive within several days.
We respectfully request that you bring this urgent letter to President Bach’sattention promptly. We are ready to answer any questions the IOC might have or to
submit additional materials should you require them.
Please acknowledge receiving this fax message by email to my address indicatedabove.
Thank you so very much for attending to our request.
Sincerely,Nobuko Shimizu