Indeed Tokyo's Governor Ishihara has already failed in the project to build a media center for the Tokyo 2016 Olympic games at the place of the Tsukiji fish market, of which relocation to Toyosu turned out to be not in time for the schedules. But he does not give up the plan to move the fish market to the polluted land. Prior to the setback of the proposition to build the media center at Tsukiji, Governor Ishihara had suddenly announced an "idea" to construct an underground expressway connecting the Haneda airport and Tsukiji, which is estimated to cost as much as USD 10 billion, while the TMG had no similar project in their original city planning map. Even though Tsukiji now has no direct relationship with the Olympics, his "idea" is to locate exit of the tunnel there. This is a potential threat to the market, which would be divided by the new expressway, if actualized.

This expressway tunnel of some 15km long requires the above-mentioned huge amount of money, because it runs partly under sea as well as in an unusual depth of underground, in order to clear some existing subways. This assumes a higher maintenance cost also. It would serve for the people who move between the Haneda airport and the area around the Tokyo central station. However, for the shifting few of them would use their private cars, and one can doubt if it is rational to construct the high-cost tunnel for taxis and omnibuses, from the viewpoint of energitic and environmental policies. The majority of people would prefer a mass transport system, especially in the social situation that no early recovery from the recent financial crisis can be expected.

Currently there is a through-train service, via a subway, to connect the two areas. And it is possible to extend an existing monorail line, which starts from the airport to have a terminal (at Hamamatsucho) situated 3.1km away from the Tokyo central station. The monorail extension has been already found technically possible to realize by building elevated tracks above the existing railway (the Yamanote line). One can easily imagine how low its cost is in comparision with the five-times longer underground expressway. Governor Ishihara should save money in such a way, though he asserts that the budget shall be insufficient unless he sells off the land of Tsukiji.

To be bizarre, however, the TMG has announced no concrete plan of the tunnel so far. So one can ignore it at ease. But, as a matter of course, it is only limited areas that a tunnel physically influences, so far as there is no structural failure - therefore, the stakefolders at Tsukiji are obliged to take the problem serious.

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