Opposition to the Heliport

Alternatives for Local Development in Nago City
By Mashiki Tomi

From 1997, Nago City in the north of Okinawa Island has been thrown into confusion around transfer of offshore heliport for U.S. Marine Corps from Futenma Air Station. The plans fallen to depopulated area located in the eastern coast of Nago City. Now, against this plan, the residents try resuscitating the region originally and autonomously for themselves.
Mashiki Tomi is a member of Eco-net Chura, a company planning eco-tours in a small area in eastern Nago City. She now works in Nago Gakuin School, a school for mentally handicapped persons.

Living in Okinawa Makes You Aware of World

The construction of a huge sea-based facility for U.S. marine corps, is planned off the coast of Nago City in Okinawa, in exchange of Futenma Air Station. The U.S. government demands to construct the airport 800 meters wide and 2,000 meters long, floating in the sea. The heights will be 30 meters. I've been living in the Kushi area, in the eastern part of Nago City for the past 20 years. Before thatm, I lived next to Futenma Air Station in Ginowan City. One of my co-workers also moved to Kushi from Futenma. This person felt uneasy with the quiet nights in our neighborhood and was unable to sleep for a couple of months after moving here. This is a good example to show you how noisy Futenma Air Station is.
In May 1998, woman from Okinawa and from all over Japan got together in Tokyo to hold a campaign called "No More U.S. Bases / Women's Action in Tokyo." On that occasion, we visited the Prime Minister's official residence to ask for his support in this matter. However, upon our request, a secretary for the Chief Cabinet Secretary said "I visited Futenma for investigation but it was really quiet there." We replied, "Whenever high government officials visit there, no helicopters fly." In Okinawa, almost no planes fly during government officials' visits or when they measure the noise. Living in Okinawa makes you aware of world tensions all the time. You do not need to watch television nor read newspapers. If you simply watch the number of departures and arrivals of airplanes in Futenma, you can easily understand the military tensions occurring in the world.

The Offshore Heliport Planned on Coral Reefs

Coral reefs and clams were seriously affected by red clay flowing into the sea due to past development plans. When Okinawa was returned to Japan from the U.S., the government promoted renovation of farmland and road construction as developing measures. As a result, much red clay found its way into the sea. The Japanese government simply applied the development model for Tokyo to other regions. Therefore, even though the nature of the clay here is completely different from that in Tokyo, they just went ahead with identical development measures.
Now, the Japanese government has announced the construction of an offshore heliport which floats in the sea with coral reefs. If that happens, the coral reefs will be devastated because they will not be able to photosynthesize. The fish which live there will die out. Also, a lot of water, together with a variety of detergents, is used to wash the helicopters. The government insists that no waste water will flow into the sea but such comments are not realistic. In the case of Futenma Air Station, there's a problem with such waste water soaking into the soil. Also, there was a report that the paint which is used to prevent ships from rusting are heavily toxic, so a serious impact on the fish can be foreseen.
Once such a huge heliport is constructed, salt breezes will be blown off as far as several kilometers during the typhoon season. The damage from the salt terrifies me. I'm afraid that not only the agriculture of the Kushi area but also our beautiful mountains and sea will be devastated by the construction of the sea-based heliport.
Moreover, the seven U.S. bases which are supposed to be returned to local landowners will be relocated to other parts of Okinawa. And the only destination is Yambaru. This area is the water source for the entirety of Okinawa Island. Therefore, I am very concerned that if those seven bases are moved there, it will seriously impact on the life of Okinawan people.
The Japanese government plays a mean trick on the Okinawan people.

The Government's Mean Trick on Okinawan People

When I was living in Ginowan City, the area of Isahama was seized under compulsion by U.S. forces using bulldozers and guns. Villagers held fast to their houses as a lase-ditch resistance but their lands were finally confiscated. This area is now called Hambie Town, which houses a U.S. military hospital. Under government policy, the whole village of Isahama was relocated to the Republic of Bolivia in Latin America. I had nine classmates from the Isahama area and none of them has returned in the forty years since they left Okinawa for Bolivia.
U.S. forces forcibly seized our land using bulldozers and guns but they did not manipulate people to create tensions among the Okinawan people. Our enemy was the U.S. forces. But as far as the construction of the heliport in Kushi is concerned, the Japanese government is trying to use much more unfair measures. They stir up conflict between the Okinawan people who are against the construction and the ones who support it. These supporters are lured by the proposed development measures of the government. Officials avoid involvement in these disputes and some ministers even say "Don't spoil Okinawa" when we insist that we do not need U.S. bases despite the Japanese government's offers for development measures.
Twenty six years have passed since the return of Okinawa to Japan and there have been very few important government officials who have visited us. However, at the time of the referendum, many ministers came to Okinawa with words of flattery. Can you imagine the comments made by Mr. Kajiyama, Chief Cabinet Secretary back then? At a gathering organized by the women's group which supports construction, he said "the sound of helicopters is just like the singing of small insects." And he continued. "You may worry about accidents at the heliport. However, even if an accident happens, the ones who will drown in the water will be U.S. marine soldiers. So all you need to do is when it happens, just pull them out from the sea." I wonder if helicopters make such small bu-like sounds in Tokyo. The Minister of Defense Kyuma made a comment that the offshore heliport would be a tourist attraction so the area will be vitalized due to the increase of sightseers which can be expected. But is it good to regard an army base as a
tourist attraction? I'm really ashamed that such comments were made by ministers whom we voted for.
Winning the referendum, But…
We are not spoiled as the minister insists. During the Second World War, Okinawa was the only place where ground battles were held. After losing parents, sisters, brothers, children and husbands, women were the ones who contributed to the reconstruction of Okinawa. Therefore, we do not want our children to live under the roaring sound of helicopters. We want to pass on the nature of Yanmaru to future generations.
The income of Okinawa is 70% of the national average and it's much lower yet in the Kushi area. Economically considered, we are surely poor. However, we want to keep our lives surrounded by abundant nature. Such humble wishes are the driving force of our campaign. We are not spoiled, nor over ambitious. Keeping such wishes in mind, we have been proceeding our campaign to oppose the offshore heliport's construction.
We visited houses one by one to distribute the leaflets we made in order to share our thoughts extensively. On weekends, women joined us to visit more cities and towns. Also, with the co-operation of local divers, we made an investigation of the sea area where the construction is expected. This investigation enabled us to produce photographs and videos of the coral reefs in the concerned area. And we succeeded in countering the government's irresponsible comment that there are not many coral reefs there.
On the day before referendum, hundreds of people including children and elderly people, together with women from all over Okinawa, demonstrated in the city of Nago to make a final appeal. Those people who supported the construction splashed water on our heads and jeered us. However, as we were demonstrated to make our appeal peacefully regardless of what might happen, we just talked to them quietly.
At the referendum held on December 21, 1997, people who opposed the heliport construction were victorious by winning about 2,300 more votes. We were delighted but the joy lasted only for three days. On December 24, Mr. Higa, the mayor of Nago City at the time, gave us an unexpected Christmas present. He went all the way to Tokyo from Okinawa to tell the Prime Minister that Nago City would accept the construction of the heliport. We were disappointed in him and at the same time, we felt that even if it's small, a wish made by each of us should not to be ignored. Also, democracy should not be trampled on.
Since we were not satisfied with the mayor's decision, we brought a case into action. I think the Japanese judicial system tends to favor the administration so it is unable to fully perform its mission. Under such circumstances, justice does not always win.

For the Town Where People Can Enjoy Their Life

However, we are not supposed to remain silent. There will be a long way to go but we would like to do our best for the trial. We all share the feeling that we do not want the heliport.
I find several positive aspects to this issue. First, we could meet many people through the campaigning. Secondly, this problem gave us the chance to evaluate the abundant nature of the Kushi area which we have tended to overlook. People there were united through the process. Now we are getting serious about developing and reconstructing our villages because Nago, and especially the Kushi area is very poor, and has suffered from serious depopulation.
Given this background, constructing the heliport substitutes for development in this area. Therefore we have to argue not about the construction of the heliport but about alternative development plans. Since the government pushes on us so many development plans, conflict was ignited between the people who need them and groups like ours. To avoid this conflict, we started a variety of our own development plans. Let me give you some examples.
First, some women are planning to open up a tea house to serve herb tea and cookies together with aroma therapy goods at the herb garden which has been operating for some time. They would like to offer the quiet countryside space to relax bodies and souls tired from the busy days of urban life. They also started an open-air market. Eco tours which utilize the surrounding nature are also offered. Although tourism in Okinawa is limited to the central and southern parts, there is truly beautiful nature still remaining in northern Okinawa. And you can see the lifestyle of our ancestors. For example, fences to scare off wild boars, remains of kilns to burn charcoal, and the horse trails to carry firewood which was our only source of income. Long time ago, there was no land route so people shipped firewood from Kushi to a port called Yanbaru which is close to Naha. U would like to introduce you to this history.
Little by little, Kushi is changing. Somebody said that vitalizing the area means people who live there can fully enjoy and appreciate everyday life. In this sense, I believe an open air market where you can enjoy communication is the best example of vitalization. At the market, elderly people and women sell flowers and vegetables they made with passion. And such exchanges of communication make elderly people's expression very cheerful.
At the referendum and the mayoral election, people supporting construction were shouting to vitalize Nago City. However, these people are not involved in the development measures we are promoting. Initially, I thought that the hearts of supporters and opponents should be the same when we think about the happiness of the people of Nago. I was assuming that the supporters of the heliport want to vitalize Nago City through development plans which would come in return for the construction of the offshore heliport. However, when the mayoral elections was over, the problem of the heliport stagnated. The government stopped discussions about development plans. And very clear differences in our opinions reemerged around the election of the governor. The supporters of the offshore heliport were expecting to get back political power into their hands, construct the heliport and automatically get the development plans to vitalize the area. To avoid our wishes being ignored and to realize the policies which take into consideration our standpoint, we would like to continue putting our energies into our trial.

Translated by Matsuda Yurika/AMPO:Japan Asia Quarterly Review Vol.29 No.1 1999