6 | The Times | Monday, April 23, 2018

(Sponsored content) city of Rebuilding the past as heart of central Japan beats on Nagoya, located roughly in the center of Jingu, the three feudal lords , Nagoya Castle a century has since passed, and the tower involved the taimenjo (reception hall) — Nagoya City Art Museum Japan, is the political, economic and cultural Toyotomi Hideyoshi, , and It is said that the three great main castle tow- faces problems today such as structural opened from June 2016 — and the third With its serene, white facade highlighted capital of central Japan. the Owari branch of the Tokugawa family are ers of early modern Japan were at Edo Castle, deterioration and insufficient earthquake stage includes the jorakuden (hall for sho- against the greenery of Shirakawa Park in The city is expected to grow further as a the basis of Nagoya’s charm and vitality. Osaka Castle and Nagoya Castle. Of these, the resistance. To overcome such obstacles and gun visitations) to be completed on June 8. downtown Nagoya, the Nagoya City Art hub for both tourists and businesspeople as The foundation of Nagoya was laid 400 main towers of both Edo and Osaka Castles promote understanding of its true value, a Museum that commemorates its 30th anni- it will host the Group of 20 summit's foreign years ago in 1610 with the construction of were destroyed by fires in the early 17th cen- wealth of surviving historical materials such Higashiyama Zoo versary this year, will hold several exhibi- ministers' meeting with leaders from the Nagoya Castle, and subsequent relocation of tury, while the main tower of Nagoya Castle, as survey drawings, measurements, and glass The joint Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical tions featuring famous artists. European Union and 19 other countries in the local capital from Kiyosu to Nagoya. The a national special historic site, watched over plate negatives are now being used as refer- Gardens, treasured by Nagoya residents for The exhibition Monet’s Legacy, held from 2019 and the Asian Games in 2026. There castle construction required talented artisans the city for over 300 years as the largest castle ence for the wooden restoration of Nagoya almost 80 years since their opening in 1937, April 26 until July 1, features 26 paintings is also high expectation for the opening of who used high-quality raw materials, such as tower in Japan. Castle’s main tower. have altered their role and mission upon by Claude Monet, including some that will the Linear Chuo Shinkansen’s Shinagawa to Kiso cypress tree. This resulted in a unique However, toward the end of World War II The Honmaru Palace of Nagoya Castle entering this environmental century. be displayed to the Japanese public for the Nagoya route in fiscal 2027, to expand peo- manufacturing culture known as monozukuri in 1945, this great castle tower was tragically is also being restored. A majestic structure Offering various attractions while being first time. ple-to-people and economic exchanges in (craftsmanship) flourishing, and Nagoya con- burned down. After the war, it was recon- spanning a total area of 3,100 square meters attentive to historic and cultural facilities, From July 28 until Sept. 24, the Impres- Nagoya. tinues to grow as an industrial city that guides structed in steel-framed reinforced concrete and over 30 rooms, the Honmaru Palace trees and scenery, the zoo and botanical sionist Masterpieces from the E.G. Buehrle A history and culture represented by Atsuta the future of Japan. through many public donations, but over half was built as both a residence for the first gardens is embarking on a project to bridge Collection in Zurich will also be held, pre- lord of Owari Tokugawa Yoshinao and a the gap between humans and nature, and senting 64 paintings from impressionist and government office for the domain. Later, become a place where visitors can experi- post-impressionist painters such as Pierre- the palace was used for lodging by shogun ence the magnificence and importance of Auguste Renoir, Paul Cezanne and Vincent on their way to . Owing to historical the natural world. van Gogh. documents such as pictures and survey maps The zoo continues working on many proj- There are also permanent exhibits, includ- from before the palace burned down, it is ects, including repair work for the conserva- ing Amedeo Modigliani’s “Girl with Pigtails” possible to carry out a completely faithful tion of its frontmost greenhouse that is an and Japan’s only Mexican modern art collec- reconstruction. Important Cultural Property, the Zooseum, tion, as well as other works created by distin- Restoration began in January 2009 with one of the largest Asian elephant villages in guished local artists. the first stage of the construction featur- Japan that opened in 2013, and the African ing the genkan (entrance hall) and omote Forest Area, where visitors can observe the This article is an edited excerpt from the shoin (main hall) in 2013. The second stage natural state of gorillas and chimpanzees. “Nagoya My Town 2018” brochure.

The third and final stage of Nagoya Castle’s Honmaru Palace restoration. The project began in 2009 and the jorakuden (hall for shogun visitations) will be open to the public on June 8, following other restored areas that reopened in 2013 and 2016. city of nagoya

Nagoya Castle Hommaru Palace JorakudenJorakuden opens to the public on June 8.

The Genkan entrance hall, Omote Shoin Main Hall and Taimenjo Reception Hall are already open.

Nagoya Castle General Administration Offi ce 1-1 Hommaru, Naka-ku, Nagoya Tel: 052-231-1700 Fax: 052-201-3646 Clockwise from above left: The Nagoya City Art Museum, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, will hold several exhibitions featuring famous Hours: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed: Dec. 29 to Jan.1 impressionist and post-impressionist artists. Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s “Portrait of Mademoiselle Irene Cahen d’Anvers” (1880) will be on display at the Admission: Adults ¥500; Free for junior high students and under Nagoya City Art Museum from July 28 until Sept. 24. The Zooseum at the Higashiyama Zoo that houses elephants is a popular family-friendly spot. City of Nagoya nagoya convention & visitors bureau / sik-isea, zurich (J.-P. Kuhn) / foundation E.G. Buhrle collection, zurich (switzerland)

Hilton Nagoya offers LEGOLAND® JAPAN 1DAY PASS & Only available at LEGOLAND® Japan Official Partner Hotels

©2017 The LEGO Group. We serve more than 100 kinds of food, including Nagoya food like Ogura and kishimen (flat noodles) in addition to a variety of freshly baked for breakfast. Also, a buffet dinner with more than 40 dishes, including various spring food is available through the end of May. ※ 1 DAY PASS included for each adult (age 13+). ※ Children (ages 3 - 12) not included in this plan. (Park tickets must be bought separately). HILTON NAGOYA 3-3, Sakae 1-chome, Naka-ku, Nagoya, Japan 460-0008 TEL: 81-52-212-1101 FAX: 81-52-212-1225 http://www.hiltonnagoya.com/

PAGE: 6 Monday, April 23, 2018 | The Japan Times | 7

(Sponsored content) city of Nagoya world Melding history, shopping U.S. wrestles with old plutonium → Continued from page 1 ing questions about the viability of the already taken to limit work on the MOX Kinshachi Yokocho, which opened on Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury reprocessing strategy. plant, said: “What I think we’ve done is ended March 29 near Nagoya Castle known for its Institute of International Studies, said: “We Currently, Japan is the only non-nuclear the biggest nonproliferation program in the famous kinshachi (golden carp-like statues) are in a much more dangerous situation weapons state in the world that still world, and I’m going to try and fix that.” icons, is a go-to location for visitors looking today than we were in the Cold War.” engaged in a commercial spent-fuel repro- Today’s plutonium glut mainly is a legacy for new trends and good eats in Nagoya. Washington has not even begun to take cessing program. While it struggles to keep of the Cold War. The quantities now seem the steps needed to acquire additional space its nuclear power program sustainable by surreal. By 1967 the U.S. nuclear arsenal What’s Kinshachi Yokocho? for burying plutonium more than 2,000 feet burning the recycled hybrid fuel called reached its apex, with 37,000 warheads. The Kinshachi Yokocho is a shopping mall built to below ground — the depth considered safe. mixed oxide, or MOX, this has resulted in Soviet Union’s peak came in the 1970s, with increase the appeal of Nagoya Castle and its Much of America’s plutonium currently is a stockpile of nearly 50 tons of plutonium. approximately 45,000. These were enough to surroundings, and features the theme of the stored in a building at the Savannah River The U.S. National Nuclear Security Admin- destroy life on Earth thousands of times over. Owari Tokugawa lords who ruled this region site in South Carolina— like Pantex, an istration, the part of the Energy Department during the (1603–1867). The mall Energy Department site. Savannah River that oversees the nuclear sites and materials, Radioactive peace dividend aims to promote the area around the castle used to house a reactor. Local opponents of favors switching to the dilute-and-dispose Amid the terror and aggressiveness then of and Nagoya in general to tourists from Japan the storage, such as Tom Clements, director method. In recent testimony before a House government and military leaders on both and abroad. of SRS Watch, contend the facility was never of Representatives subcommittee, Lisa Gor- sides, little or no thought was given what to The mall has famous and long-established built for holding plutonium and say there is don-Hagerty, the new NNSA administrator, do with the warheads should the risk of mass eateries that are well-known for serving a risk of leakage and accidents in which large said that method will “cost billions less” than annihilation ebb. Nagoya-meshi, or local specialties of Nagoya. amounts of radioactivity are released. completing the MOX plant. Daniel Ellsberg, best known for leaking in Additionally, creative cuisine proposed by res- The Energy Department has a small exper- Plutonium is a versatile nuclear bomb 1971 the Pentagon Papers about the Vietnam taurants owned by younger Nagoya dwellers imental storage site underground in New material. Terrorists War, in the early 1960s was an adviser to the and traditional crafts sold by boutiques and Mexico. The department controls the radio- would need only 11 air force and White House on nuclear policy. souvenir shops add flair to the facility, making active materials — plutonium, uranium and kg (24 pounds) or ‘We are in a He recently published a book detailing and it more memorable for tourists. tritium — used in America’s nuclear weap- less to make a bomb, much more criticizing the nuclear policy debates and The location is helpful for visitors, especially ons and in the reactors of nuclear-powered Lyman says. decisions of that era. In a phone interview, because the district surrounding Nagoya Cas- aircraft carriers and submarines. In a Senate Its ordinarily lim- dangerous he said disposal of weapons was never con- tle did not have many restaurants and cafes hearing in June 2017, Energy Secretary Rick ited radioactivity situation sidered at the time. where they could rest before. Spending more Perry said the Energy Department has been makes plutonium today than “I don’t think one person gave one time around the castle also allows tourists to in talks with New Mexico officials to enlarge safe for terrorists or moment of thought to that,” Ellsberg said. better immerse themselves in Nagoya’s history the site. Environmental groups there have other thieves to trans- we were in “No one thought that the Cold War would and aura. strongly opposed expansion. port with little risk the Cold end.” Under an agreement with Russia, the of radiation injury. It Treaties that dramatically reduced U.S. and Zones named after feudal lords United States was to convert 34 tons of plu- goes undetected by War.’ Russian nuclear arsenals were signed soon William Potter, Kinshachi Yokocho is made of two parts — the tonium into fuel for civilian reactors that most sensors. It radi- director, James after the Soviet Union fell. It was then that Yoshinao Zone near the main gate of the castle generate electricity. The fuel is known as ates alpha particles, Martin Center for the magnitude of the problem – disposing and Muneharu Zone near the east gate. Top: Kinshachi Yokocho opened on March 29 near Nagoya Castle, offering tourists the best of MOX, for “mixed oxide fuel.” Plutonium and relatively large on an Nonproliferation of the surplus plutonium – dawned on the Studies The Yoshinao Zone is named after the first Nagoya-meshi, or local specialties, and shops where visitors can browse through an array of uranium are converted into chemical com- atomic scale, which two countries. Edo daimyo of Owari (Nagoya’s name during traditional crafts. Above: Kinshachi Yokocho by night. pounds called oxides, and mixed together in means the thin glass Scientists proffered ideas, nearly all involv- the time) Tokugawa Yoshinao. fuel rods for civilian nuclear power plants. of a test tube, the leather of a briefcase, or ing making the plutonium forbiddingly The zone is built as a traditional, Japanese- well as from the bus stop of city buses and the creating the future of Nagoya culture, present The two metals are converted into oxides even air or skin stop them. The danger from dangerous for malefactors to transport and style city, using the same Kiso cypress that was Nagoya sightseeing route bus Me~guru. their unique cuisine in this area, which has because these cannot cause nuclear explo- handling small amounts is inhaling plu- burying it deep underground. used to build Nagoya Castle. This zone features The Muneharu Zone is named after the terrace tables and evening illumination. The sions. But the U.S. effort has run into severe tonium dust. In that case, the dust spreads Instead, under a 2000 treaty, the United traditional Nagoya cuisine and crafts that made seventh lord Tokugawa Muneharu, who was Muneharu Zone is near the east gate of Nagoya delays and cost overruns. from the lungs throughout the body, causing States agreed to transform the 34 tons of plu- Nagoya the starting point for Japanese manu- known for his exceptionally luxurious lifestyle Castle, conveniently located near exit No. 7 of The alternative method is known as multiple kinds of cancer. tonium into MOX, unusable for bombs. Rus- facturing. There is also an open space that can among the Tokugawa clan. Shiyakusho Station on the Meijo Subway Line. dilute-and-dispose. It involves blending The federal government now has no solu- sia agreed to destroy the same quantity using be used for events. The Yoshinao Zone is near This zone features modern designs and plutonium with an inert material and stor- tion in sight to dispose of the plutonium a special type of reactor. But the United States the main gate of Nagoya Castle and is easy to buildings to differentiate it from the Yoshi- This article is an edited excerpt from the ing it in casks. The casks, however, are pro- permanently. Its one effort to make it unus- had never before built a MOX plant. No U.S. reach from parking lots for tourist buses, as nao Zone. Young restaurant owners, who are “Nagoya News,’’ March 2018 brochure. jected to last only 50 years before beginning able for bombs has turned into what the civilian reactor had ever used MOX as fuel. to leak, and so would need to be buried per- White House and Energy Department say This misplaced optimism led to one of manently deep underground. is a costly failure. The MOX project, at the the costliest snafus ever in U.S. government Energy Department’s Savannah River site construction. Work began in 2007 to build The MOX mess in South Carolina, has been kept on life sup- a MOX plant that was to be operational by President Donald Trump has sided with the port by Congress thanks to the influence of November 2016. The Energy Department Energy Department in wanting to kill the South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and now estimates that, if allowed to proceed, it A relaxing space formed by history and tradition MOX project because of the extreme cost other lawmakers. The MOX plant employs will not be finished until 2048. In 2007 the overruns and delays. The Energy Depart- about 2,000 people in Graham’s state. Energy Department said the total cost would ment, beginning in the Obama administra- Graham and other congressional backers be $4.8 billion. Now it estimates the cost at Situated in the heart of tion, favored closing down the MOX project say MOX is the best way to keep plutonium more than $17 billion. Nagoya in Fushimi, the for the same reason, but Congress overruled out of the hands of terrorists. They note, An Energy Department panel reported in it. The federal budget adopted in February, too, that the pact with Russia requires the 2016 that there is no U.S. market for MOX. Nagoya Kanko Hotel was however, specifies a means for ending the United States to use MOX as the method for To use MOX fuel rods, civilian power plants project, if a study shows that dilute-and-dis- disposal. would have to modify their reactors, requir- founded in 1936. The hotel is pose would be at least 50 percent cheaper A spokeswoman for Graham declined to ing lengthy relicensing by the Nuclear Regu- easily accessible by bullet than making MOX. comment on his behalf but sent a link to a latory Commission. The report said the best The cost of recycling spent nuclear YouTube video of a Senate hearing in March. the Energy Department could hope for was train from across Japan, as fuel is also an issue in Japan and is rais- In the hearing, Graham, referring to steps to give the stuff away. well as from Central Japan International Airport. The deluxe floor has an No U.S.-Japan interior design that is dedicated to detail and the rift on North comfort floor provides a → Continued from page 1 simple and functional space. Still, much of the anxiety that has reso- nated in Tokyo has stemmed from the unpre- 19-30, Nishiki 1-chome, Naka-ku, Nagoya 460-8608, Japan dictability of Trump, who has vowed to rain Tel: 052-231-7711 Fax: 052-231-7719 “fire and fury” on North Korea and to “totally destroy” the country of 25 million people if http://www.nagoyakankohotel.co.jp/ it threatened the U.S. or its allies, but now speaks of “good will” between Washington and Pyongyang. Kim, too, has proved to be more adroit at diplomatic maneuvering than expected. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as he hosts a joint news conference with Prime Minister On Saturday, the young leader announced Shinzo Abe at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, on Wednesday. REUTERS that the North had suspended nuclear and longer-range missile tests and would moth- its nuclear programs and disable all facilities Other members of his Cabinet, however, ball its Punggye-ri atomic test site, while also in return for fuel oil or its equivalent in eco- expressed caution, with defense chief Itsu- shifting its focus to build up its sanctions-hit nomic aid, but later prevaricated on agreeing nori Onodera calling the North’s decisions economy. to verification protocol. “insufficient because they do not mention The move was almost immediately lauded Pyongyang ultimately walked out of scrapping of the country’s short- and inter- by Trump, who called it “very good news” six-party talks altogether, in April 2009, in mediate-range ballistic missiles and nuclear and “big progress” toward the goal of denu- protest of sanctions slapped on it after it weapons.” clearizing the North. test-fired a modified Taepodong-2 three- Regardless, considering the U.S. commit- But while Trump touted the news, some stage rocket, ostensibly as part of its civilian ments made to Abe, as well as the overall experts cast a skeptical eye on it. space program. A year later, it revealed a vast importance of Japan as an ally, it’s unlikely “It’s a symbolic move in my view that can new uranium enrichment facility to visiting that Trump will forge a deal that would burn be easily reversed,” said Malcolm Davis, a U.S. scientists. Tokyo by focusing solely on the longer-range senior defense analyst at the Australian Stra- Stephen Nagy, a senior associate profes- missiles that pose a more immediate danger tegic Policy Institute. “The North Koreans are sor at International Christian University in to the United States, said Nagy. clearly seeking to hold out inducements to Tokyo, said that Saturday’s announcement “The North Korea’s challenge goes beyond both the South Koreans and the Americans resembled past maneuvering by the regime. nuclear tipped ICBMs (intercontinental bal- in the upcoming summits, but what they “Reading the material … I was struck by how listic missiles),” said Nagy. “Its short- and have said they’ll do today does not necessar- much things had not changed,” Nagy said. Kim midrange missiles, which include chemi- ily lead to the North Koreans denuclearizing “said nothing about giving up current capabili- cal, biological and conventional systems in in the long term.” ties, leaving Pyongyang with its long sought- addition to its submarine launch platforms, North Korea also has a long history of after strategic nuclear deterrent, short- and will continue to threaten U.S. troops in Japan working to drive wedges between the U.S. midrange missiles and submarine systems.” and South Korea. Without those systems and its allies, often using moves like Satur- Abe, for his part, voiced a qualified included in any deal, it’s difficult to see the day’s announcement to bait its rivals. approval of the Kim pledge. Trump administration move ahead in any As recently as 2007, as part of the six-party “I welcome the announcement as a posi- deal. talks, it agreed to disable all of its nuclear tive action,” he said, adding that he would “Fortunately,” he said, “these national facilities by the end of that year, setting out “closely monitor the situation” but not halt interests overlap with Japan and as a result I the first specific timetable for it to disclose all the government’s pressure policy. don’t see Japan being isolated.”

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