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SIGN THE PETITION

Sign and share the petition to stop the use of soil containing ancestral remains from the Battle of Okinawa to fill Oura Bay and the Henoko base.

Oura Bay 3/25/19.jpg
(日本語/ENGLISH/ESPAÑOL/PORTUGUÊS)

Via Kaiya Y, March 2019

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WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Sign the petition via Change.org and share with others.

Call to stop the Japanese government from using soil in these sacred areas of Okinawa. (~1 minute)

 

  1. Fill in your name and email, and choose if you would like to display your name publicly as a signature.

  2. Click "Sign this petition."

  3. The next page asks for a donation. If you would like to chip in, press the red button. Otherwise, choose "No, I'll share instead" button.

  4. Choose a way to share this petition (copy link, email campaign, share on social media, etc.). When you are finished, click "Continue" on the bottom of the screen.

 

All done! You should receive an email confirming the signature via Change.org. Thank you for taking part in spreading awareness of this crisis.

Activists rallying at Oura Bay, Henoko, Okinawa.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

(quoted via English translation of Change.org petition, led by Okinawa Liberty Project)

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"In April 2020, the Okinawa Defense Bureau submitted a revised plan for the construction of an offshore US military base in Oura Bay in the Henoko district of Nago city. The new expansion plan seeks to use soil from the southern part of Okinawa. About 70 percent of the soil (31,596,000 cubic meters) is to be sourced from Itoman City and Yaese Town, where some of the bloodiest fighting happened during the Battle of Okinawa. It was here that Okinawan civilians were pushed to the point of no escape and where many Japanese soldiers who followed orders to go southward also lost their lives. According to an Okinawan Prefectural report, the remains of 2,849 people, who lost their lives during the Battle of Okinawa, are still missing.

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Human remains are still being discovered in the area near the Kumano quarry in Itoman City. A quarrying operation began here in October 2020, without permission from the local authorities, and was consequently halted by the Prefectural Government soon after. The company applied formally for a quarrying permit from Itoman City authorities on January 18, 2021. Itoman passed the decision on to the Prefectural authorities, commenting that in their opinion, quarrying was not in keeping with the status of the land as an area of historical, spiritual and environmental importance. Prefectural permission is pending, and operations may recommence 30 days subsequent to permission being granted. Says Takamatsu Gushiken, who has been excavating human remains as a volunteer for 39 years, “The human bones have taken on the color of limestone or soil. One can’t tell the difference just by looking at them. You would have to pick them up and feel their weight in your hands to know the difference. ”

 

The Okinawa Defense Bureau's use of sediment collection from the battlefield of the Battle of Okinawa and its use for the construction of the new Henoko base violates the "War Dead Remains Promotion Law", which was enforced in 2016 and stipulates that it is a national responsibility to collect remains.

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These lands should be protected as a legacy that tells the story of the Battle of Okinawa to the future generations and as a place to pray for world peace."

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