Citizens urge local airport plan to be reviewed

Shizuoka's citizens won a fresh victory in their signature collection campaign calling for a review of the plan to construct a new local airport in Shimada City in Shizuoka Prefecture The governor of the prefecture of 2.9 million accepted their petition. Akahata on May 28 reported.

The Association for a Referendum on the Shizuoka Airport has collected about 290,000 signatures calling for the enactment of a prefectural ordinance for carrying out the referendum on the pros and cons of the airport plan.

At 9 of the 15 airports newly constructed or repaired in Japan during the ten years since 1989, there were less users than expected, and at 4 among them they were less than half as expected.

On the 200 billion yen Shizuoka Airport plan, including the money for annex facilities, the residents doubt the validity of the estimate of airport users at 1.60-1.70 million a year due to inconvenient access. The construction has damaged and will further harm natural environments around the site; and it will bring about a huge amount of debt, they say.

Under the association, sub branches were established in all 74 municipalities in Shizuoka. Assembly members, branch members of the Japanese Communist Party and Akahata readers actively took part in collecting signatures.

After receiving the signatures on May 17, Governor Ishikawa Yoshinobu changed his hostile attitude and expressed support for the referendum. The referendum bill will be submitted to the prefectural assembly in June. The Shizuoka Trade Union Federation affiliated with the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo) also shifted its attitude to one of supporting the citizens.

All political parties, other than the JCP which maintained opposition to the plan, are asked to whether they will continue their pro-project policy.

If enacted, the referendum will be the first case at the prefectural level that will affect the result of public works projects.

This will be a heavy blow to the Koizumi cabinet which is attempting to push ahead with specific public works projects at each locality, while arguing for a general cut. (end)