The scoop on the Monument

Debris litters the "Foreign Section" construction site as the facade nears completion. Memorial is in the center of the frame behind the pair of orange cones.

Here is a close up of the monument.

The English side says (and this is a scoop):
Laid to rest here in the 'Foreign Section' of the Aoyama Cemetery are men and women who came to Japan in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of them played leading roles and contributed greatly to the modernization of Japan. We have erected this monument to commemorate their achievements and ensure their memory is passed on to posterity. March , 2007 [sic]

The sentiment somewhat fits with what we have been saying on this website, however, we note that Tokyo Governor Ishihara has killed two birds with one stone at taxpayer expense: he offsets his well-documented racist remarks directed at foreigners living and working in Japan, and at the same time sets the groundwork for future bureaucrats to remove graves.

On balance though — and this is very good news — it seems that after our repeated calls for documentation on Tocho's intention to preserve all the graves, Tocho in January of 2007 made a document stating it will do so. (The document will be uploaded to this site when it's translated.)