A report by Akahata (the official newspaper of the Japanese Communist Party) has revealed that security costs associated with the new Henoko base have risen to at least 22 million yen per day. The documents submitted by the Okinawa Defense Bureau noted the contracts for sea and land security amounted to 50.8 billion yen from Sep 2015 to Dec 12, 2020. The security costs will increase as the design changes call for more extraction sites within the Okinawa Prefecture.
Of the total construction cost estimated by the Okinawa Defense Bureau at about 930 billion yen, security costs account for about 18% or 170 billion yen. The Bureau spends so much money on security to force the new base construction to which more than 70% of the prefectural residents oppose. They are spending money to monitor and suppress the opposition movement. Where else in the world can you find such public works projects? With the economic slow-down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they should immediately stop the construction that is not urgently needed and allocate the funds to support the people’s medical needs and ordinary daily lives.
(In front of Camp Shwab Gate)
About 50 people, including the Okinawa Heiwa Shimin Rennraku-kai (Okinawa Peace Forum), sat in protest. They continued to sing even when the riot police appeared. Andrea, 25, a research student from Milan, Italy, also participated in the sit-in. Majoring in anthropology, she is interested in the history of Okinawa. “The more I learn about the history and identity of Okinawa, the more interested I become. I love to communicate with people while engaged together in the fight for peace,” she said in fluent Japanese.
Yesterday, a woman in her late 60s was taken away by riot police in a flash. What kind of violence can an older woman inflict on strong men in their 30s? The arrest was so arbitrary and premeditated. Mr. Hiroji Yamashiro and about 20 other people immediately went to the Nago police station where the police took her. They demanded the Nago Police to release her immediately and addressed her through a loudspeaker. “You have done nothing wrong. The riot police’s taking you away without explanation is the criminal act.” As of the 24th, the police did not release the woman.
On this day, a total of 204 vehicles brought construction materials into the base in three rounds.
(Ryukyu Cement Awa Pier)
About 40 people, including Nanbu Shimagurumi (Nanbu chapter of the Island-Wide Conference), divided themselves into two teams at the entrance and exit, continued their protest. Some came with guitars and sound equipment, creating a lively atmosphere. The atmosphere is very different, whether there is music or not. The group likes to protest cheerfully. They sang for almost four hours. Good job.
Three barges were loaded with 995 truckloads of earth and sand, and 856 trucks brought in the landfill soil from the quarry.
On this day, Commander H stopped two GoGo Drive members, whom the six riot policemen surrounded and questioned for over 30 minutes. The protesters objected to the police’s excessive restriction.
(Motobu Shiokawa Pier)
Only six members of the Motobu Shimagurumi (Motobu chapter of the Island-Wide Conference) protested. There were no police officers or riot police. With the cold sea breeze blowing, the protesters slowly crossed the road and delayed the dump trucks’ operation until after 4 pm.
Three barges were loaded with 398 truckloads of the earth and sand at the pier and transferred the loads to the carriers offshore.
Number of dump trucks to date and percentage against the total
The estimation calculated on the basis of the number of ruckloads serves only as a reference.
Number of dump trucks which made delivery from December 2018 to the end of December 2019 114,601(1.39%)
| 19（Sat） | 21（Mon） | 22（Tue） | 23（Wed） | 24 （Thu） | 25（Fri） | |
| Awa | 1070 | 867 | 916 | 955 | ||
| Shiokawa | 0 | 536 | 125 | 398 |
| Number of dump trucks ※ |
Weightt of earth/sand
※① |
Converted to volume
※② |
Volume per Total
※③ |
| 300,689 | 1,503,445t | 751,723㎥ | 3.721% |
