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By Stephen Wade

The Associated Press

TOKYO 鈥� Miho Nakashima stood in a bathing suit in Tokyo on Sunday next to a 100-year-old gingko tree, her body painted head to toe with green leaves and brown branches.

Her message was clear, and she repeated it standing at the heart of the Jingu Gaien park area as its sanctity is being threatened by a controversial commercial development plan.

鈥淚’m a tree,鈥� she said. 鈥淒on’t chop me down.鈥�

A plan approved earlier this year by Gov. Yuriko Koike would let developers, led by Mitsui Fudosan, build a pair of 650-foot-tall skyscrapers in Jingu Gaien, mow down trees in one of Tokyo鈥檚 few green areas, and raze and rebuild a historic rugby venue and an adjoining baseball stadium.

Takayuki Nakamura, among a few hundred people who gathered on Sunday to protest, pressed his face into the bark of one tree and prayed. The area was set aside 100 years ago to honor Japan鈥檚 Emperor Meiji.

鈥淚 want to appreciate the existence of these trees,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ometime I can feel some sounds inside.鈥�

The planned redevelopment would take more than a decade to finish, and has attracted lawsuits with mounting opposition from conservationists, civic groups, residents, and sports fans.

Eighteen ginkgo trees behind the rugby stadium would likely be cut down.

The flashpoint has been trees, green space, and who controls a public area that has been encroached on over the years. Also at issue is the fate of more than 100 gingko trees that line an avenue in the area and provide a colorful cascade of falling leaves each autumn. Botanists say any construction is sure to cause damage.

Critics say the plan has been rammed through the review process despite a botched environmental assessment as real estate developers take what was intended as public land and turn it into private commercial space.

Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami聽has opposed the plan. And composer and musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, just days before his death on March 28, sent an open letter to Koike deriding the plan.

The rugby stadium was used during the 1964 Olympics, and聽Babe Ruth in 1934 played in the baseball stadium along with other American stars facing Japan鈥檚 best players.

The project highlights the ties among the main actors: the governor, Mitsui Fudosan, and Meiji Jingu, a religious organization that owns much of the land to be redeveloped.

鈥淭he redevelopment of the park is obviously a public issue,鈥� Koichi Nakano, a political scientist at Sophia University, told The Associated Press earlier this year. 鈥淎t the same time, they (politicians) can claim that it is a private decision of a religious organization and the developers.

鈥淏ut because Jingu Gaien is also a public park with sports facilities, politicians can 鈥� and do 鈥� meddle in the decisions. Which results in the cozy, probably collusive relationships among the insiders that are unaccountable to the public.鈥�

Approximately 1,500 trees in the same area were chopped down to build the $1.4 billion stadium for the Tokyo Olympics. Hosting the Olympics also allowed the city to change zoning laws, which may permit developers to further encroach on the park area.

鈥淭his is like building skyscrapers in the middle of Central Park聽in New York,鈥� Mikiko Ishikawa, an emeritus professor at the University of Tokyo, told The Associated Press.

Developers have argued the two sports facilities cannot be renovated and must be razed.

However, Koshien Stadium, built in 1924 near Kobe, has been renovated over the past 15 years, much in the same way that Major League Baseball stadiums Fenway Park (1912) in Boston and Wrigley Field (1914) in Chicago were to ensure long-term viability.

Meiji Kinenkan, a historic reception hall in Jingu Gaien, dates to 1881. It鈥檚 still used substantially, with no calls for its demolition.

鈥淭he development companies are trying to cut down more trees and make a huge business area,鈥� Nakashima said as a leaf was painted on her cheek. 鈥淭he park has a very long history and should be saved.鈥�