(In front of the gate)
At 8:30, 20 people began a sit-in in front of the gate. They were removed quickly by riot police and forced into the temporary enclosure. At 9:00, 191 trucks began transporting materials into the site. At noon there were another 159 trucks, and at 15:00 another 158, exceeding a total of 500 in one day. It appears that the Abe administration wants to prepare so that it can dump large amounts of earth all at once. The riot police and ALSOK (private security company) appeared nervous as they confronted us. This is a battle between Okinawa and the Japanese government. The area in front of the gate was visited by American, British, and Spanish persons. Watermelon and pineapple sent from the mainland campaign were handed out.
(Marine protest)
After receiving a report last night that the left side of the seawall had been connected, at 8:30 this morning 3 protest boats and 20 canoes set out to protest despite the high waves. 18 rubber boats of the Japan Coast Guard were waiting – more than usual. When the canoes crossed the float (indicating the temporary restricted area), 16 canoes were detained by the Coast Guard. One person was injured. After the detained members were released by the Coast Guard, they returned to protest. Tomorrow there will be a large-scale marine protest, and a large Coast Guard presence is expected. The number of participants today was around 50. The beach tent sit-in protest has reached 5,219 days.
