March 1, 2012
Residents of Okinawa’s Takae district on February 29 celebrated the success in the past year of protest against the construction of U.S. military helipads, which prevented the defense bureau from cutting down a single tree at the planned construction site.
They have conducted a 24/7 sit-in protest in front of the N-4 gate of the U.S. Marine Corps Northern Training Area. Since March last year, their on-site protest has successfully blocked the Okinawa Defense Bureau’s repeated attempts to bring construction equipment into the construction site.
The Okinawa Defense Bureau has suspended construction work from March to June, the breeding season for the endangered Okinawa rail, which inhabits Okinawa’s northern forest.
In an assembly to celebrate the successful year of protests in front of the N-4 gate, Takahashi Masahiro, secretary general of Takae residents’ association against the helipads construction, thanked the 60 participants for their united commitment. He also expressed the need to further increase the struggle this year as the U.S. government plans to deploy the accident-prone vertical take-off and landing aircraft Osprey to Okinawa.
They have conducted a 24/7 sit-in protest in front of the N-4 gate of the U.S. Marine Corps Northern Training Area. Since March last year, their on-site protest has successfully blocked the Okinawa Defense Bureau’s repeated attempts to bring construction equipment into the construction site.
The Okinawa Defense Bureau has suspended construction work from March to June, the breeding season for the endangered Okinawa rail, which inhabits Okinawa’s northern forest.
In an assembly to celebrate the successful year of protests in front of the N-4 gate, Takahashi Masahiro, secretary general of Takae residents’ association against the helipads construction, thanked the 60 participants for their united commitment. He also expressed the need to further increase the struggle this year as the U.S. government plans to deploy the accident-prone vertical take-off and landing aircraft Osprey to Okinawa.
