Higashi-Ikebukuro Central Park, Urban park in Higashi-Ikebukuro, Japan.
Higashi-Ikebukuro Central Park is a 5,993.61 m² ward-owned urban park at 3-1-6 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima, laid out by landscape designer Yoshikuni Araki. It opened in 1979 together with Sunshine 60 and Sunshine City on the redeveloped site of Sugamo Prison. Its grounds hold a war criminals memorial monument, a waterfall and a Noh stage.
The site held the Sugamo Prison, whose buildings were demolished and replaced by Sunshine 60 in 1978. The park opened in 1979 alongside Sunshine City as part of the redevelopment of the former prison grounds, with landscaping designed by Yoshikuni Araki. A cabinet decision had called for preserving the execution site, but disputes over a memorial delayed the park's opening.
The park serves as a gathering place where local residents and visitors come together for seasonal events and informal meetups. It functions as a social hub that connects the surrounding commercial area with everyday outdoor recreation.
The park is walkable from several nearby train stations, including Higashi-Ikebukuro Station on the Yurakucho Line and served by the Tokyo Sakura Tram. Visitors can access it easily without long detours through the urban area.
Seven Class-A war criminals sentenced to death by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East were executed at Sugamo Prison on 23 December 1948, on the ground the park now covers. A memorial inscribed "Praying for Eternal Peace" by Arita Masanori was erected here in 1980.
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