There has recently been much attention focused on the conflict between the U.S. and Japan over the relocation of Futenma air station from Ginowan city to Henoko/Oura. However, there is another base expansion in Takae, in the north of Okinawa that threatens rain forest habitat to many of Okinawa’s rare species.
Download the Voice of Takae in English 
Here’s a call for support on an online petition:
Stop US helipad plan in Okinawa to save great nature.
Target: to be submitted to the Japanese Parliament Speakers of lower and upper houses
Sponsored by: citizens of Higashi village against helipad construction
Paper based petitions(over 21,830 personnel signed) and web based petittion (550 personnel signed in care2 till then) against helipad construction plan was presented in the Japanese Diet after “in house” meeting on 7th Feb 2008.
Total signer’s number of over 22,000 is well above the targeted 15,000, which is 100 times of Higashi village population(about 150).
However, US and Japanese governments show no intention to quit the plan, which means we still need to continue this campaign.
On the contrary, Okinawa Defence bureau bring case to the court argueing that citizen are illegally prohibiting the construction plan.
Court case has started in January 2009. Over 20 voluntier lawyers are supporting the citizen, claiming that resistance of the citizen in non-violent form is solely the expression of resistance and that it is Okinawa Defence bureau who is violating legal process of this procedure. Another pettion in the paper form for supporting the court to reject the case in favor of the resisting citizens is in the way. Form is available in citizens of Higashi village against helipad construction homepage, http://takae.ti-da.net/
Apart from court case problem, construction plan has been stalled. Okinawa Defence bureau was intended to change the situastion by bringing the case into the court. The result was that lots of Okinawa citizen came to know the Takae problem from this news and support movement has widely spread since then.
It is promised by the Okinawa Defence bureau that they will not start construction work until the court case come to an conclusion.
As a result, no construction work took place since 2008.
For further detail of the past, see below.
<About the situation in Takae in February 2008>
No majour construction-related progresses have taken place since New years day, although two dump trucks were recorded to carry in pebbles and sand for surfacing last week. No surfacing worker was allowed to enter for this occasion.
Prediction from these is that as fiscal year 2007 of Japan is close to the end(in March) the constructor needed to show a sign that they are making progress of some kind.
Environment assessment procedure made an agreement that no construction work should be done during the breeding period of wild life(from March to June).
Our position is that no construction should take place at any time. Concerning breeding time, two newly born babies are in Takae and another baby is expected in this spring.
This place has been primarily used for living, it should be so in the future as far as people wish.
ex-title:Save okinawa Woodpecker and rail from US military helipad—
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Takae US military helipads construction has started in July 2007, which has close link with Henoko air base in plan. Local citizens are objecting against the plan by 24 hours sitting in.
Takae people and its nature was unwishingly pushed to the front line of US military operations, militarism move of this kind is soon supposed to spread to the entire Japan.
We call petition to the world for the Japanese parliament against the helipad plan by demanding following two claims.
First claim: Immediate stop of illegal helipad construction of US military in Takae, Higashi village, Okinawa JAPAN.
Second claim: Entire northern training area of Okinawa should be returned to people of Okinawa, as it was deprived by US military force during and after world war II against international law and it has continuously been provided by Japanese government againt Okinawan people’s will.
Dead line is scheduled 10th Janury of the year 2008, in order to be submitted in the next annual parliament meeting in 2008.
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Further information is available here. http://okinawaforum.org/disagreeblog/VOT-en.pdf
Comment by WWF Japan. http://www.wwf.or.jp/news/press/2007/p07061401.htm#eng
Greenpeace Japan is kindly mentioning on this petition in their Blog. http://www.greenpeace.or.jp/info/features/okinawa/blog_eng/index_html
We have been reading a lot about western enviromentalists, animal right groups complaining Japanese cruelty in deep sea fishing, now we have a real environmental disaster created by their kind in Okinawa. Are they going to side with the Okinawan or will they keep their silence because their criticism only reserved for other, not their own kind.
The more I read about the US the more it sickens me. Can’t you people see your double standard. But then again building on illegal lands is something you taught the Zionist of vice versa. Oh yes you taught them since you land too was stolen. And even you technologies….all Nazi technologoy you stole from Germany anyways. Patetich excuse for a nation….and the only bad thing is all these cases….the general populace being uneducated about their governments history. If most of them knew what I’ve learned by simply accessing the archives of their own nation they will realize…and how they knew the Japenese where coming and they let it happen otherwise the US people would have objected to the US’s invovlment in WW2 but like I said…I no longer consider myself American. I’m a patriot like the forefathers who are rolling around in their graves as we are now at the same point they were when they left the old world behind….but those assholes simplied followed and like my old religion morphed it into a nasty infected disease…you call it freedom and I call it a facist police states.
a) THis is not against ANY country
b) War is long gone, so should military base
c) Develope better relationship thru culture, economic, with
US, Unify Korea, and CHina .. free trade pact etc
d) Share Green tech
e) Betterment for ALL
f) No satruated fats or any articifcal taste in FOOD
g) NO sanctions, threats etc.,
A dream ..