Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2015 March 11 - 17 [POLITICS]

US refusal of Okinawa’s request for coral damage survey is ‘unreasonable: Governor Onaga

Okinawa Governor Onaga Takashi has condemned the U.S. forces for refusing the prefecture’s application for a survey on coral damage inside the no-entry zone off the Henoko district in Nago City.

Of 800 coral species existing worldwide, 200 species are identified in the ocean near Okinawa. Coral is a precious resource for Okinawa’s tourism industry.

As part of the ongoing preparation project for the construction of a new U.S. base in the Henoko coastal area, the Abe administration dropped huge concrete blocks in the no-entry zone surrounding the area where the state plans to reclaim land based on approval given by Onaga’s predecessor. The Okinawa prefectural government on February 26 began surveying the damage to coral reefs.

The prefecture on February 27 requested the Defense Ministry’s Okinawa Defense Bureau to obtain from the U.S. military its permission for the prefecture to conduct its assessment inside the restricted waters. The defense bureau rejected this request.

Following this rejection, the prefectural government directly applied to the U.S. forces for permission. The application was disapproved, and the Japanese foreign ministry conveyed this decision to Okinawa on March 11.

On the following day at a press conference, Governor Onaga said that it is really “unreasonable” for the U.S. military to prevent the prefecture from conducting the survey for administrative purposes.

On the same day, the Abe government launched a boring survey at the planned landfill site off Henoko.

Past related articles:
> Okinawa prefectural government investigates damage to coral reefs in Henoko [February 27, 2015]