February 24, 2017 Ryukyu Shimpo
In the third Kadena noise lawsuit, in which 22,048 residents living near U.S. Kadena Air Station demanded an injunction against nighttime and early morning flights by U.S. military aircraft and damages for past and future harm they have incurred, the Okinawa branch of the Naha District Court (judge: Tetsuya Fujikura) ruled on February 23 to recognize that the explosive noise exceeds tolerable levels and order the national government to pay the plaintiffs a total of roughly 30.2 billion yen in damages. The amount of damages exceeds that ordered in any prior base-related noise lawsuit in Japan. However, regarding the demand for an injunction against flights, Judge Fujikura stated that “[this demand] is asking the defendant [the Japanese government] to halt an act being performed by a third party [the United States] over which it has no authority,” and the court thus adopted the “third-party conduct theory”, as in previous base-related noise lawsuits, to reject the demand. The plaintiffs expressed their intention to appeal the ruling.
The monthly amount of damages ordered was higher than in any past case. Plaintiffs experiencing a “W value” (Weighted Equivalent Continuous Perceived Noise Level) of 75 or higher are to receive 7,000 yen per month, and for each increment of W5 until W90 or higher, plaintiffs will receive an additional 6,000 yen per month. Plaintiffs experiencing W95 or higher will receive 35,000 yen per month. The demand for payment of damages for harm to be incurred in the future was dismissed. Plaintiffs living north of Zamami, Yomitan Village, who were not compensated in the second Kadena noise lawsuit, were this time also recognized to be experiencing noise exceeding tolerable levels, and damages were ordered to be paid to them as well. However, damages were not ordered to be paid to plaintiffs living outside the noise distribution map (contour).
In the ruling, Judge Fujikura stated that in addition to obstruction of daily life and obstruction of sleep resulting from explosive noise, “there is also an increased risk of high blood pressure, an adverse effect on health,” thereby recognizing some of the plaintiffs’ assertions of health damage. The court did not recognize other health issues like hearing loss and an increased risk of ischemic heart disease on the grounds that evidence thereof is insufficient.
Though asserting that it is not “common damage” suffered by all the plaintiffs, the court did recognize the possibility that explosive noise could have a greater impact on children than adults, and that it could cause great distress to war survivors.
On the grounds that even after the explosive noise at Kadena was ruled unlawful in the first and second Kadena noise lawsuits, the Japanese and U.S. governments did not take fundamental damage prevention measures, the court stated, “we must assess that unlawful damage to surrounding residents is being carelessly left unaddressed.” The third Kadena noise lawsuit was initiated in April 2011. The plaintiffs numbered four times those in the second lawsuit (roughly 5,500), making it the biggest base-related noise lawsuit in Japan’s history.
(English translation by T&CT and Sandi Aritza)
Main points of the ruling:
• Demand for injunction against flights was rejected
• Amount of monthly damages:
o Areas experiencing W75 or higher: 7,000 yen
o Areas experiencing W80 or higher: 13,000 yen
o Areas experiencing W85 or higher: 19,000 yen
o Areas experiencing W90 or higher: 25,000 yen
o Areas experiencing W95 or higher: 35,000 yen
• Demand for compensation for future damages was dismissed
• Plaintiffs north of Zamami, Yomitan Village also experience damage exceeding tolerable levels
• Explosion noises increase the risk of high blood pressure
• Unlawful damage is being left unaddressed
On February 22, Professor Masaki Tomochi from the Department of Economics at Okinawa International University presented his trial calculations regarding the economic benefit to Okinawa if the U.S. military’s Kadena Air Base is returned. According to his calculations, “a direct economic benefit” of approximately 1.46 trillion-yen a year will be generated by the site being redeveloped. His calculations are based on the equations used by the Okinawa prefecture for estimating the economic benefits from the base being returned for “(areas) south of Kadena.” The “gross value added” after subtracting the expenses is approximately 822 billion-yen.
The prefecture made the calculations assuming that the resort, convention, and cultural industries would expand into “(areas) south of Kadena” after the base is returned. Professor Tomochi applied these equations to Kadena Air Base and multiplied that number by the price of land for the three municipalities in which the base is located.
The three municipalities have not come up with concrete plans for redeveloping the area where Kadena Air Base is currently located. Because of this, Okinawa City and Kadena Town have used 69.8 billion-yen per hectare for Camp Foster and Chatan has used 49.5 billion-yen per hectare for Camp Lester for their calculations. The values were provided by the prefecture. Kadena Air Base covers 1,985 hectares: 742.5 hectares from Okinawa City, 879 hectares from Kadena Town, and 363.5 hectares from Chatan. Multiplying the economic benefits per hectare, land price scale, and the three areas results in the economic benefit for each of the municipalities. Adding these numbers together gives the economic benefit from having Kadena Air Base returned. The benefits of redeveloping the Kadena Ammunition Storage Area, located in a forested area, were deemed limited. Therefore, it was not included in the calculations.
Professor Tomochi pointed out, “While our calculations show economic incentives for having the base returned, this was not our intention because in the end, the base issue is a peace and human rights issue.” He also emphasized, “(We) would like the government to become the main body in calculating the economic loss incurred from the base and to lead discussions. Even for the bases that are not part of the Special Action Committee on Facilities and Areas in Okinawa (SACO) agreement, it is important to estimate numbers for them and to not assume from the start that they ‘will not come back.’”
Up until now, Professor Tomochi has presented paper(s) on trial calculations including the military facilities within Okinawa and the Self-Defense Force bases as a part of “an examination of the Ryukyu (Okinawa) economy after all bases are removed and all subsidies were abolished.”
According to his calculations, a direct economic benefit of 3,842,600,000,000-yen will result from all bases being removed. Of that, 2,952,600,000-yen is for bases that are not part of the return agreement, which is a part of the SACO.
(English translation by T&CT and Chelsea Ashimine)
On February 23 a little after 11:30 a.m., the U.S. Air Force conducted parachute drop training over the water at the Tsuken Island Training Area in Uruma City. The Okinawa Defense Bureau (ODB) notified residents of Uruma City the day prior that there might be parachute training. Okinawans are protesting to have water training areas contained at Ie-jima, based in the Special Action Committee on Okinawa (SACO) final report. Despite repeated protests, local opinions are being ignored and municipal governments’ opposition considered inevitable as training is enforced. In January, too, drop training was conducted over the water without notification.
At three separate intervals past 11:30 a.m. a U.S. Air Force Special Operations MC-130 aircraft dropped a total of 13 parachutes into the water. Twelve of the parachutes carried soldiers and the remaining one held a black bundle of items. After landing in the water the soldiers engaged in recovery operations for about 30 minutes and headed back White Beach on three ships.
Under the SACO agreement Yomitan Auxiliary Airfield parachute drop training was to be relocated to Ie-jima. Okinawa and Uruma residents have been appealing for such training to not be conducted apart from at Ie-jima. However, the Japanese government presents the perspective that only drop training on land is subject to the agreement, and allows drop training over the water. When training occurs relevant administrative bodies appeal to the Japanese government and U.S. military, but national and local perspectives do not align and the issue is not resolved.
February 22 is “Cat Day” in Japan. Naha City is home to “Community cats,” which are fed in Machiguwa or local shopping areas and streets. The city government plans to implement Trap Neuter Release/Return (TNR) of stray cats all around the city from the fiscal year of 2017. Naha city used to confine the area for TNR to tourist spots. However, many people continue to intentionally abandon their cats in areas where TNR is carried out or “Community cats” are well treated.
Since the fiscal year of 2014, Naha city has been carrying out a state-subsidized project to do TNR specifically in areas around tourist spots as part of tourism promotion. According to the Environment Sanitation Division of the city government, TNR has been carried out for 625 cats over 3 years. Since the number of cats has decreased in the areas around tourist spots, the city government plans to implement TNR in residential areas.
On Sakurazaka Street in the city, shops located along the street are taking care of “Community cats.” Because cats are seen relaxing in the street, the area has become popular with cat lovers. However, many people continue to abandon their cats on Sakurazaka because they think people treat them well there. Concerned about preventing strays and unwanted cats and dogs from dying, Motoko Hatakei rescued a kitten abandoned in the street. Hatakei said, “Please don’t abandon cats. If you own cats and dogs, you have to take responsibility and take care of your pets until they die.
On the morning of February 18, in Oura Bay, Nago, citizens protesting against new base construction associated with relocation of the U.S. Futenma airfield in Ginowan to Henoko, held a parade on the water using 10 ships and 22 canoes.
The parade on Oura Bay was the first one held since construction work for landfill resumed last December.
About 80 people were onboard the ships, while on Sedake beach about 300 people held a rally to cheer on the sea parade.
In front of the gate of Camp Schwab, about 40 people held a sit-in protest to block construction vehicles.
Protesters on the boats set up banners reading “Stop submerging blocks,” “Protect the beautiful sea,” “Protest against Osprey crash,” on offshore fences installed by the Okinawa Defense Bureau, and shouted protest chants while holding placards.
The canoe team held a large banner reading “Save the Dugongs,” and called out to the participants on the beach.
At 10:00 a.m., when a large crane ship submerged large concrete blocks, the protesters both on the beach and in the ocean yelled in its direction.
Japanese Communist Party Vice Chairman Yoshiki Yamashita, who took part in the sea parade, rallied the participants: “Unity between people in Okinawa prefecture and all parts of the country will create a united force to stop the Japanese and the United States governments. Let’s prevent construction of the new base.”
Setsuko Oyamori, 64, who was on one of the protesting ships, said, “Feelings of anger and sorrow were aroused when I saw floats on the sea and work to dump concrete blocks.”
She added, “I renewed my determination to stop the construction. If we give up, we will turn out just as the government wishes.”
“I wanted to dive into the sea to stop construction,” Daigaku Tanimoto, 65, said, while boarding a ship, “The governor and the mayor should exercise their powers. At the same time, protests at the scene are important. I will show my intention to protest as a citizen.”
Koushin Nakamoto, a captain of one of the ships and chief secretary of the Helicopter Base Objection Association, said, “We could show many people our objection to the new base and convey the situation of the offshore works to them. We would like to promote the grass-roots movement and help it gain momentum.”
On February 17, it was discovered that the Okinawa Defense Bureau has begun construction of a ready-mix concrete plant (concrete manufacturing machinery) as part of construction it is doing on land at U.S. Camp Schwab of related facilities in conjunction with the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to Henoko, Nago City. The concrete plant is being built to speed up the construction. Regarding the concrete manufacturing machinery, the Defense Bureau explained to the Okinawa prefectural government that it is being built for construction being done on land at Camp Schwab. However, the prefectural government and civic groups have raised concerns that the machinery could be used in the future for the land reclamation being carried out for the construction of the new Henoko base off the coast of Camp Schwab and opposed its construction, but the Defense Bureau commenced construction of it anyway.
The machinery is being built on the south side of Camp Schwab on near the coastline facing the Henoko fishing port. On February 17, heavy machinery was seen leveling the ground at the site.
In March of last year, after the national and prefectural governments came to an out-of-court settlement in a lawsuit brought against Okinawa by the national government over the governor’s cancellation of a permit to reclaim land at Henoko, all construction related to the new Henoko base construction was suspended. Thereafter, the Defense Bureau sought permission from the prefectural government to build barracks and other structures unrelated to the land reclamation in Camp Schwab, one of which was a ready-mix concrete manufacturing machine. The prefectural government responded by opposing the construction of a concrete plant on the grounds that it could be used to prepare materials required for the land reclamation within the base.
Plans were in place to build concrete manufacturing machinery inside Camp Schwab even before construction was suspended following the out-of-court settlement, the aim being to avoid construction delays caused by protesters blocking the gates to the base. Previously, construction on land within the base was not proceeding smoothly because concrete trucks were prevented from entering and exiting by protests in front of the gates, and in many cases the concrete hardened and became unusable before making its way into the base; eventually, the construction was stopped in December 2014.
After the out-of-court settlement regarding the Henoko land reclamation, the prefectural government asserted that it would not accept any construction relating to the base relocation plan. The Defense Bureau suspended all construction at sea. In conjunction it also stopped construction of barracks on land and put off work on the concrete manufacturing machinery.
However, in December of last year the Supreme Court ruled against the Okinawa prefectural government, and the government subsequently began construction of the concrete plant.
On February 19 in the morning 35-year-old Irish national Thomas Frazer, who currently lives in Uruma City, won the men’s division of the full marathon with a time of 2 hours 27 minutes and 9 seconds. Thirty-two-year-old Eri Suzuki from Akita Prefecture took the women’s division at 2 hours 47 minutes and 40 seconds. In the ten-kilometer road race 20-year-old Hayata Hokama of Naha took first place in the men’s general division at 32 minutes and 7 seconds, while 21-year-old Nana Haisuke of Nago won first in the women’s general division with 39 minutes and 7 seconds.
There were 12,118 people entered in the full marathon, 2,849 people entered in the ten-kilometer road race, and 411 people entered in the half marathon newly established to commemorate the Okinawa Marathon’s 25th year. Preliminary figures showed 10,349 people registered for the full marathon.
Febraury 21, 2017 (Original article July 23, 2016) by Ryukyu Shimpo
Assistant Professor Takuma Fujii from the Amami Station in Kagoshima University’s Research Center for the Pacific Islands and Associate Professor James Davis Reimer from the Ryukyu University’s Graduate School of Engineering and Science have announced the discovery of Sphenopus exilis, a new species of the genus Sphenopus. This discovery was made in 2016 in Oura Bay and Kin Bay off the eastern coast of Okinawa Island. The findings were published in the international research magazine “ZooKeys” on July 21, 2016. According to Professor Fujii, this is the first discovery of a new species of the genus Sphenopus in over 100 years.
A new species of genus Sphenopus has not been discovered since the discovery of three species between 1870 and 1880. Currently, the newly discovered Sphenopus exilis has so far only been confirmed to inhabit Oura Bay and Kin Bay.
Sphenopus exilis inhabits the silt seafloor inside the bays, where the current is gentle. It is the smallest species of all Sphenopus, with a polyp length ranging from 1-2.4 cm. It is characterized by slender tentacles capable of stretching. It is believed that the tentacles act as anchors to keep it from drifting away in the soft, unstable silt seafloor.
Most organisms that inhabit a silt seafloor are species no larger than grains of sand and enjoy a “microenvironment” with a slightly differing water quality. Professor Fujii indicated that, “It is possible that Sphenopus exilis is susceptible to negative effects from even slight changes such as red soil and agricultural chemical runoff, and tidal changes from seawalls. Large-scale inflows of contaminated water from dams, landfills and base construction puts its natural habitat in great danger.”
The above research was conducted from 2009 to 2014
A cruise ship called “Sliver Shadow” (about 28,000 tons, 382 passengers) from American luxurious cruise company, Silversea Cruises, will dock at Okinawa ten times in May and April. The ship has previously called at Okinawa departing from Europe, but it will be the first time it has arrived from China. According to the Okinawa Tourism and Convention Bureau (OCVB), the tour fee for this ship is about ten times higher than the usual casual cruise tours and is sold for a maximum of 1.3 million yen. Cruise tours arriving in and out of China tend to have high unit prices, and consumption by the rich tourists is expected to increase in the future.
“Silver Shadow” departs from Shenzhen, China on four tours and goes around Miyako Island, Naha, Ishigaki, and Nakagusuku Harbor. The breakdown of calls is as follows; four times at Hirara Port in Miyako Island, three times in Naha Port, twice in Ishigaki Port and once in Nakagusuku Harbor. The managing company of Prince Bay Cruise Homeport, which opened in Shenzhen last October, directly chartered the ship and sold tours targeting wealthy people in the Chinese market.
According to OCVB, a casual cruise is sold for around 10,000 yen per night while luxury cruises are sold for an average of 40,000 to 50,000 yen per night.
The boarding fee for the cruise ship “Silver Shadow” departing from Shenzhen and going around Ishigaki Island, Naha, and Miyako Island from March 16 to 23 is about 25,619 to 83,215 Chinese yuan (about 425,000 to 1,379,000 yen).
OCVB expects that the increase in wealthy visitors will bring more tourism dollars to the prefecture. Furthermore, OCVB stated that information on regional tourism goods is expected to be multilingual to prevent losing passengers’ purchasing and consumption opportunities in the prefecture.
The Department of Culture, Tourism and Sports in Okinawa announced the schedule of events for the opening of Okinawa Karate Kaikan on February 16. The kaikan will be open on March 4 in Tomigusuku City. There will be an inauguration ceremony and symposium on martial arts on March 4, as well as a performance ceremony and open-training day on March 5. Various events will take place at the kaikan to promote Okinawa as the birthplace of karate in and out of the country.
The ceremony on March 4 will be an exclusive event, while other events will be open to the public on March 5. The facility will be available for general use from March 6.
According to the prefectural office of karate promotion there has been a total of ten reservations made so far, with the bookings going up until September. In addition to the joint training among Shorin style Shito-kan members on March 6, there will be the 33rd prefectural karate-kobudo performance event on March 19 as well as the international karate exchange event on April 22.
The Okinawa Karate Kaikan consists of three major dojo training areas, an exhibition area, and a special training dojo area. There will also be a parking lot to accommodate one hundred vehicles and four tour buses at one time.
The prefecture will launch a free shuttle bus from the prefectural government building on March 5 from 9 a.m. to avoid traffic congestion due to the events on the day.
For more details on the events, contact the prefectural office of karate promotion at 098-866-2232.
At a press conference held on February 18 at Okinawa Prefectural Government Office, six diet members from Okinawa constituencies released a statement demanding the immediate release of Hiroji Yamashiro, director of the Okinawa Peace Movement Center. Yamashiro has been detained for about four months after being arrested and prosecuted on a charge of alleged forcible obstruction of business while protesting against the construction of Helipads in U.S. Northern Training Area in Takae, Higashi and new U.S. base in Henoko, Nago.
Kantoku Teruya, Toshinobu Nakazato, Seiken Akamine and Denny Tamaki, members of the House Representatives, and Keiko Itokazu and Yoichi Iha, members of the House of Councilors, issued the statement in their names.
The six congress members stressed in the statement: “Despite a minor charge, Yamashiro’s long period of detention and a ban on contact with him continues based on the claim that there is a risk of destruction of evidence or fleeing. This is a political crack-down on the struggle in Henoko and Takae and non-violent resistance by Uchinanchu (Okinawan people) who are seeking peace and the restoration of their dignity.”
They criticized the Japanese Government and asked for the immediate release of Yamashiro.
Teruya, who continues to be in contact with Yamashiro as his lawyer, said, “It took an entire five days for us to get a pocket warmer to him. This long-period of detention is extraordinary and unjust.”
According to the diet members, Yamashiro is focused on maintaining good health for the first court hearing, which is set for March 17.
Webcam(Kokusai Street)
