No helipad in Takae, Okinawa – A sit-in continues

A sit-in has continued since 2007 in protest against a plan to construct a helipad near a settlement in the Takae district, Higashi Village in Okinawa Prefecture in exchange with a partial return of the Okinawa Hokubu Training Area of the US Army. The construction of the helipad has been stopped ever since. However, the Okinawa Defense Bureau unilaterally told the community residents recently its intention to restart the currently suspended construction in July this year, and held a briefing for them on February 1. In the “briefing”, the same materials as those that had been already given to them before were delivered, and the only answers from the bureau staff were “We are not sure” or “It hasn’t been decided yet” to such questions from the residents as a “scale of noise”, “types of helicopters” or “flight courses”. Thus, the briefing was far from satisfactory. Many people from all around Japan support the protestors in Takae who have continued their sit-in. Support from more people is needed for the residents in protest against the restart of the helipad construction scheduled in coming July. (Yumoto Masanori) 　video (UnionTube)


沖縄・高江にヘリパッドはいらない～連日座りこみつづく
　米軍の沖縄北部訓練場の一部返還の条件として、東村高江の集落周辺にヘリパッドを建設するという計画に反対して、2007年から一日も休まず座り込みが続けられ、建設工事は阻止され続けている。しかし沖縄防衛局は、中断している建設工事着工を7月にも再開するという意向を地元住民に一方的に伝え、2月1日「住民説明会」を開催した。「説明会」は、これまで出された資料が再び出され、住民側からの「騒音の規模は？」「装備される機種は？」「ヘリコプターの飛行コースは？」などの質問に沖縄防衛局からの返答は、「わからない」「決まっていない」の答弁に終始し、「説明会」の内容には程遠いものであった。高江では全国からの支援が寄せられ、連日の座り込みが続けられている。7月の工事着工を前に、さらに大きな支援が求められている。（湯本雅典）・動画（UnionTube）