Millions of Americans, Japanese Plead for Okinawa Dugongs

OAKLAND, California, September 8, 2004 (ENS) - A new U.S. heliport is to be built on top of a coral reef on the east coast of Okinawa, Japan unless conservationists succeed in blocking the air base that they say will destroy the feeding ground of the last few remaining Okinawa dugongs.

A coalition of more than 400 U.S. and international conservation groups representing over 10 million people sent a letter Tuesday to President George W. Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi urging the two leaders to cancel plans for the base near Henoko, Okinawa.

Local residents voted against the base in a referendum, but Japanese and U.S. authorities have paid scant attention to the vote.

The new air station would be built about two miles offshore on reclaimed land and the reef to replace the Marine Corps Air Station at Futenma, in the middle of urban Ginowan in central Okinawa.

In 1996 the United States and Japan agreed to close Marine Corps Air Station Futenma once an alternative site is provided as part of a plan to reduce by 21 percent the land area occupied by U.S. bases on Okinawa, which cover one-fifth of the island.

The alternative site chosen was off Henoko village in rural northern Okinawa, on top of the coral reef. The new facility would be connected by a causeway with the Marines’ Camp Schwab.

One of the few remaining Okinawa dugongs (Photo by Suehiro Nitta courtesy Earthjustice)

"As two prominent world leaders," the conservation coalition wrote, "you have the power to protect these unique and priceless creatures. Unfortunately, a joint project backed by the United States and Japanese governments will destroy one of the last healthy reefs in Okinawa, pushing many magnificent species closer to extinction."

“Scientists believe that only 50 dugong survive in the waters off Okinawa. This project, if constructed, would very likely drive the Okinawa dugong into extinction," said Peter Galvin of the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the groups that signed the letter to Bush and Koizumi.

The Japanese Defense Facilities Administration Agency, at the request of the U.S. Defense, has ordered that test holes be drilled into the seabed - an intrusive procedure which conservationists say could do lasting harm to the dugong. Local villagers, including elderly women in their 90s, camped out in April at the test drilling site to protest the underwater testing, prevent environmental damage and proclaim world peace.

Members of the Peace Citizens Council, the protesters camped for several weeks at the Henoko fishing port in opposition to an environmental survey for the new Marine air station. Their banner read, "Do Not Kill! Do Not Die! We demand the removal of all military bases from Okinawa and seek world peace. "

A coalition of U.S. and Japanese conservation groups went to court in September 2003 to stop construction of the base. The case, Okinawa Dugong v. Rumsfeld, now is being heard in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.

The lawsuit asks the U.S. Defense Department to comply with the National Historic Preservation Act by publicly assessing the impacts of the proposed project on the Okinawa dugong. This law requires that U.S. agencies assess the impacts of their activities on cultural icons of foreign nations. Because of their significance to Okinawan culture, dugongs are included on a Japanese government list of protected cultural properties.

The Okinawa dugong has been listed by the government of Japan since 1972 as a Natural Monument under Japan’s Cultural Properties Protection Law. Since 1955, the dugong has been protected as a cultural monument by the autonomous Ryukyu Prefecture due to its status as a revered and sacred animal among native Okinawans. The Okinawa dugong is also listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

Okinawa dugong photographed on January 26,1998 off Henoko (Photo by Hanashiro courtesy Tsuchida)

“The people of Okinawa deserve respect for their cultural and natural heritage just as Americans would expect government agencies to protect their natural treasures,” Kagohashi said.

“The Department of Defense has a legal duty to protect the cultural resources and national monuments of other nations, especially our allies,” said Martin Wagner of Earthjustice, who is representing the coalition in the United States. “The Okanawa dugong is a cultural icon and national monument in Japan. This vanishing species deserves the same protection and respect that we give to the Washington Monument or bald eagle.”

“For Okinawans, the dugong compares only to the American bald eagle in terms of cultural and historical significance,” said Takuma Higashionna from the Okinawa-based, Save the Dugong Foundation. “The myth of the mermaid comes from sailors who saw the dugong. Historically, Okinawans believe the dugong to be a friendly harbinger of sea disasters such as tsunamis.”

In addition to the environmental reasons for opposing the heliport, some Okinawans believe it signals a buildup of U.S. military might in Japan. The Council for Opposing Offshore Base Construction, based in Okinawa, says, "The real aim of both Japanese and the U.S. governments reflected in the SACO Agreement is to strengthen and modernize the functions of U.S. military bases in Okinawa, under the guise of responding to the Okinawan people's sincere desire for reroganization and reduction of bases."

The Council says, "Construction of a new heliport off Henoko will ensure a powerful island-wide training range for the U.S. military."