On Sep 8, Okinawa Prefectural Government made the application submitted by the Okinawa Defense Bureau available for the public review and comment. The application is to make changes in the new base construction plan. “Interested persons” are invited to give his/her opinion within the next three weeks, and the Governor of Okinawa Prefecture will decide if he approves the changes or not based on the expressed public opinion. I hope that many of you will send your opinion to the Prefectural Government to support Governor Denny Tamaki to say firmly “not to approve the changes.”
The application for the changes submitted by the Okinawa Defense Bureau has many problems as follows:
- The plan gives no details on how to improve the soft ground. No one has made a soft ground improvement over 70 meters depth in the world. The application does not answer the experts’ question that the land would sink eventually, and the seawalls would collapse.
- The plan states that the sand required for the ground improvement work is to be procured within the Okinawa Prefecture. However, the required volume is equivalent to 2-3 times the annual collection quantity in Okinawa. The collection of such a large amount of sand in a short period will have detrimental effects on the sea.
- The plan states that the landfill earth and sand are also to be procured within the Okinawa Prefecture; however, the collection of a large amount of the earth and sand will destroy the woods and the fields in Okinawa Prefecture.
- The plan states that dugongs and corals are not affected by the new base construction; however, the experts have pointed out that more surveys are needed to confirm the claim.
On Sep 10, All Okinawa Coalition organized a meeting in front of the Prefectural Government Office and announced, “We will send more opinion statements than ever before to give strong support for the Governor to give definite NO to the changes to the construction plan.” Many members of the Diet and the prefectural assembly and nearly 200 citizens came to the meeting.
Please see the attachment on how to prepare your opinion statement. We encourage all Japanese and Non-Japanese to present your comment. There is no boundary for an “interested person”. A deadline is September 28.
(In front of the Camp Schwab Gate)
Fine weather in a long while, approximately 20 people resumed the sit-in protest. In the afternoon, the number of protesters increased to over 40. Some of the people who attended the meeting in front of the Prefectural Government Office came to join us.Three convoys made the deliveries, and the total for the day reached 123 truckloads.
(On the sea in the Oura Bay)
Two boats and eight canoes went out on the water after three weeks of absence. The seawall construction is in progress, but not much progress due to the typhoons and traditional holidays to respect our ancestors. Today, the earth and sand equivalent to 4 barge-loads were dumped for landfill. I am afraid that the landfill work will be in full swing from the next week.
(Ryukyu Cement Awa Pier)
No indication of the work resume. Although the earth and sand are piled high in the temporary storage place, none has been transferred to the cargo ships for three weeks. Shipping may resume from the next week.
(Motobu Shiokawa Pier)
Since Aug 31, after three weeks of absence, loading the earth and sand began again. Five members of Shimagurumi of Motobu Town came to protest.A total of 510 truckloads was loaded to the cargo ships.
Opinion Statement on “Application for the Changes in the Original Construction Plan” of the New Base in Henoko
To: The Governor of Okinawa, Denny Tamaki
Date:
Submitted by: Name
Address
(If you are an organization, state the name of the organization and its representative, and address.)
Statement of your interest (If the planned changes infringe on your interest in nature preservation and the U.S. military bases, you (Japanese and Non-Japanese) are invited to present your opinion. It is alright to leave this part blank.)
My Opinion (Example: Not to approve the application for the changes in the construction plan.)
Reasons (Examples: I disapprove of destroying the sea with dugongs and corals. Do not construct a base on the soft ground with a risk of the facility collapsing. Building a new military base in East Asia only increases the tension.)
Please send your Opinion Statement by September 28 to the following addresses.
We will put them together and submit them to the Prefectural Government.
email:: tnffx484@yahoo.co.jp
Fax. (81)980-55-2245
Or you can email directly to the Prefectural Government.
umetateiken@pref.okinawa.lg.jp
Number of dump trucks which made delivery from December 2018 to the end of December 2019 114,601(1.39%)
| Sep,5（Sat） | ７（Mon） | 8（Tue） | 9（Wed） | 10（Thr） | 11（Fri） | |
| Awa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 510 |
| Shiokawa | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of dump trucks ※ |
Weightt of earth/sand
※① |
Converted to volume
※② |
Volume per Total
※③ |
| 237,344 | 1,186,720t | 593,360㎥ | 2.937% |
