Japan Press Weekly

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2016 September 21 - 27 [POLITICS]

Air photos of US helipad construction site in Okinawa reveal illegal acts by gov’t

Regarding the ongoing construction work of military helipads at the U.S. Northern Training Area in Okinawa and the building of roads necessary to transport materials needed in the construction, the Japanese government is illegally logging trees and neglecting to implement soil erosion prevention measures, Akahata on September 23 reported.

The Akahata report is based on aerial photos of the construction site, which were taken by anti-base citizens on September 16-18.

The pictures show that the planned helipads site is totally cleared of trees, but prevention measures for red clay erosion, such as fences or covering sheets, are not being installed. This would be in violation of a prefectural ordinance requiring builders to take preventive measures against red clay erosion.

Concerning roads needed to deliver materials, the Okinawa Defense Bureau is pushing forward with the road construction while cutting down a large amount of trees without prior consultation with the local forest office. Judging from the photos, soil erosion prevention measures are not being carried out along the road, Akahata pointed out.

The defense bureau had planned to construct a monorail to transport materials, but in September it suddenly changed the plan and decided to construct a truck road instead. The bureau decided to increase the width of the planned road from 3 meters to 6 meters, which will double the amount of tree logging. Such a sudden and major change in the plan is incompatible with what the bureau had claimed it would do to the prefecture and thus it is probable that illegal actions have been taken.