New damage found on coral in Oura Bay possibly due to Henoko relocation plan

July 17, 2015 Ryukyu Shimpo


　　　　Coral damaged by chains and concrete blocks. In Oura Bay on July 16 (Photograph provided by the Diving Team Rainbow).

July 17, 2015 Ryukyu Shimpo

The Japanese government is carrying out preparation work in Oura Bay for construction of a new U.S. base that would replace the Futenma air base in Ginowan. On July 16, members of Diving Team Rainbow of the Helicopter Base Objection Association confirmed newly damaged coral. They were investigating the impact of typhoon Chan-hom on the coral and seabed of Oura Bay. Chains and concrete blocks that were installed to support buoys marking out a restricted area, appeared to have damaged the corals.

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BBS News:Protests as Japan paves way for self-defence law change

A parliamentary committee in Japan has approved two major bills for debate, paving the way for an expanded role for the military.

The move sparked protests from opposition lawmakers in parliament and activists outside the building.

If the bills are passed, Japan would be able to fight overseas in a doctrine called collective self-defence.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says it is necessary for the country's protection, but polls show many Japanese oppose it.

On Wednesday, a special committee set up in Japan's lower house to decide on the two security bills gave its approval.

The bills, will now be presented before Japan's full lower house on Thursday for another round of debate and approval. They still have to clear the upper house as well before they can be passed.

Many expect the bills to be passed as both the lower and upper houses of Japan's parliament, known as the Diet, are dominated by Mr Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

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The New York Times ：Shinzo Abe Faces Growing Wrath of Okinawans Over U.S. Base

Protesters held a rally in May against the construction, planned for more than two decades, of a Marine Corps airfield on landfill off the coast of Okinawa. Credit Ko Sasaki for The New York Times

HENOKO, Japan ― Orange buoys surround a wide swath of clear blue sea off the coast of Okinawa where the United States Marine Corps has long sought to build a new airfield on landfill. For more than two decades, plans for this base have gone nowhere, stymied by fierce local opposition and politicians in Tokyo without the clout or determination to overcome it.

But now Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is pushing ahead with construction, seeking to establish his credentials as Washington’s most important ally in Asia and to take Japan ― whether it is ready or not ― another step toward his vision of a “normal country” no longer held back by pacifist restraint or haunted by its wartime past.
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Daily demonstrations against the base by protesters encamped at its main gate, and the shouts of “Warmonger!” that greeted Mr. Abe on a visit to Okinawa last month, highlight what he is up against: a public that for decades has recoiled from anything resembling the militarism that led Japan into World War II.

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