Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said she plans to track down and punish officials, past and present, who were involved in creating the growing debacle surrounding the planned fish and fresh products market in the capital.

The new Tokyo governor mentioned disciplinary action for the first time in response to a question by a Komeito member during the Tokyo metropolitan assembly's session on Oct. 5.

Koike’s strong words followed criticism that her government’s report did little to clear up who was behind the change in construction plans that could leave buildings at the new market in the Toyosu area exposed to possible contaminants.

Koike, Tokyo’s first female governor, suggested she might replace executives at the government’s Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market, which oversees operations at both the Tsukiji market and the new Toyosu market.

“I will clarify who is responsible and where the responsibility lies among the past heads of the Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market,” Koike said. “We will continue our administrative investigation to identify other executives of the metropolitan government who are responsible and take disciplinary action.”

The Tokyo government had planned to relocate the hugely popular Tsukiji fish market from Tokyo’s Chuo Ward to the Toyosu area of Koto Ward in November.

But Koike delayed the move, citing concerns about pollution at the new site, which was once home to a Tokyo Gas Co. plant, and other reasons. It was later revealed that a revised construction blueprint omitted the original plan to place a thick layer of fresh soil over possibly contaminated dirt under some of the main facilities at the Toyosu site.

However, Koike cannot impose disciplinary measures against officials who have either retired or resigned from the Tokyo metropolitan government, although she can announce the penalties they would face if they were still in those positions.

And Koike will not receive any immediate help from Shintaro Ishihara, who was Tokyo governor when the decision was made to relocate the Tsukiji market to Toyosu.

Ishihara, who has since retired from politics, declined the metropolitan government’s request for an interview to determine the decision-making process and other issues concerning the Toyosu market. Instead, he asked to have the inquiries in writing, citing his age and health issues.

An assembly member from the Japanese Communist Party also questioned the high construction costs of the main structures at the new market. The winning bids were more than 99 percent of the government’s budgets for those projects, indicating the possibility that a bid-rigging cartel was involved.

Koike responded: “I have already asked a (third-party) project team to investigate the issue. The reason needs to be clarified.”

The governor came under heavy criticism at assembly sessions on Oct. 4 and 5 over the official government report she released on Sept. 30 about the Toyosu site. The report failed to even say when the construction plan was changed.

About 30 percent of the 300 questions Koike received from 20 assembly members over the two-day period were about the Toyosu issue.

Koike responded by emphasizing her commitment to reform, including possible replacement of executives in the Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market department.

“The Tokyo government is in crisis,” she said. “I will transform the organization to enable ‘autonomous reform.’”