Citizen-Led Campaign Proposes New Use for Kenzo Tange's Kagawa Gymnasium, Facing Demolition
![Kagawa Prefectural Gymnasium / Kenzo Tange. Image © [TETSU Snowdrop] / Shutterstock](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/689e/bd42/65bf/e15a/7e16/3fa8/medium_jpg/citizens-campaign-proposes-new-use-program-for-kenzo-tanges-boat-gymnasium-in-risk-of-prompt-demolition_1.jpg?1755233623 "Kagawa Prefectural Gymnasium / Kenzo Tange. Image © [TETSU Snowdrop] / Shutterstock")
Kagawa Prefectural Gymnasium / Kenzo Tange. Image © [TETSU Snowdrop] / Shutterstock
In February 2023, the governor of Kagawa Prefecture, Japan, announced the planned demolition of the Kagawa Prefectural Gymnasium, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Kenzo Tange. Discussion surrounding its fate dates back to its permanent closure in 2014, after a roof leak caused structural problems in the ceiling boards. Since then, several organizations have worked to save the building, including a petition by the World Monuments Fund and an effort by a promotional council to nominate it as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in 2021. Despite these initiatives, on August 7, 2025, the Kagawa Prefectural Government officially announced a public competitive bidding process to select a contractor for the demolition, something the Former Kagawa Prefectural Gymnasium Regeneration Committee is determined to prevent.
