Henoko diary -from the dugong sea-

In 6:30am, the barge was there already. Some activators come on board to stop running. When I approached to near the Coast Guard overbear and get beans.

Also, they tie up two inflatable boats and one activator's boat to their boat. Nine activators hold onto the barge to stop. After 2 hours later, we received message that activators stop today's construction, then the constructors left with the barge. We save our ocean.


Greenpeace inflatable boat was tied down in Coast Guard's boat without any notice.
After several hours protest, the Coast Guard release all boats.

Silent candle in front of Camp Schwab. We sent messages that Henoko is beautiful place where Dugong live.



We also told some solders to tell the message to President Bush!

The constructors try to pick up anchors. The last week’s barge, we expected that they use more than ten-million yen from our taxes.

Defense Facilities Administration Bureau (DFAB) picks up anchors for barge, which they carried on March 16th. As we expected, the coral was destroy.

Anchor that was in the sea was four. Today, last anchor picked up from the water. We follow the constructors to make sure there is no damage for coral. In this afternoon, constructors check their equipment on the platform.

We send a message to American solders in front of Camp Schwab. At night, we have a concert at the beach under full moonlight.

We have heavy rain in this morning. We stand by at beach.
In the afternoon, rain has let up and goes to platform. The constructors build up wire of engine. We accept the request because of our safety.

At platform 2, the constructors request to scaffolding repair… We do not accept the request easily…



The message proposed by Greenpeace.

It’s a rainy day. But the constructors try to work for platforms. We never accept their work! GPJ office sent email to our support and put urgent message on our web site.
More than 20 people keep in the water to prepare the constructors work while we discuss with them. Finally, they give up today’s work. Now, Japanese government consider that reassess the construction…Defense Facilities Administration Bureau should not waste of their time and money that came from our tax.

Since February 5th, Yuka Ozaki has been in Henoko, Okinawa to support local activists. Today, she finishes her duty and change places with other GPJ stuff, Sakyo Noda. Before she leave, she visit “Dugong Home”, secondhand store, to say good-bye, it’s GPJ poster “I need your help to survive!!”. Thank you very much Yuka!

Again, the huge scaffold returns to the port. We blocked the construction successfully. But we cannot relax…we don’t know when they will back.

The weather has been terrible since yesterday, so activists have not been on the scaffolds. However we need to keep an eye on them for the time being. The wind is so strong that we were forced to dismantle the tent that rests on top of the scaffold. The sea is very rough and dangerous. We chose volunteers to pack up the tents.
Rough seas and strong winds make work on top of the scaffolds dangerous business. We folded up our tents as we avoided being blown into the water by the wind. Following our work, we anxiously returned to port.
It keeps on pouring, and even the wet-suits that we hung out to dry in time for our next use--we leave in our wet wet-suits. On May 12th, we were informed of the presence of a large transport vessel carrying fixed buoys leaving the Nakagusuku bay off the coast of central Okinawa. I am relieved that it is not heading in this direction, but I am sure that it will appear again.

Since the seas are rough, the activists who usually stay atop the scaffolds at sea are resting in the tent.
We take turns at night to watch the sea. Although the rain is intermittent, the wind remains strong. I am quite sure that construction will not occur in such horrid weather conditions, but so long as the Defense Facilities Administration Bureau does no confirm the fact that they will not construct the base, we must continue to be vigilant.

Even if it is cloudy, there is no doubt that the weather is improving. After the torrential rains, the emerald sea turns into a muddy red color.
The red soil that stain the water of Henoko is none other than the run-off of the red soil from the destroyed forest of Yanbaru. The construction of the US base is not the only phenomena threatening the existence of the Dugong. We must also consider how the destruction of the forests and mountains for development are inextricably linked to Okinawa’s current economic structure.
Today, May 15th, the day Okinawa was “returned” to Japan. To commemorate this day, there is an event where Okinawa people hold hands and surround the US Futenma Airbase and demand the return of Okinawan territory to the people of Okinawa. There were a few buses leaving Henoko to carry people to participate in this event, but as usual, a few people had to remain behind to be on guard.
Though it is a weekend, and a special commemorative day, since there is no word of the Defense Facilities Administration Bureau calling off construction, we must stay here and be vigilant.
Fortunately, no construction occurred, and we were able to watch the sky and sea at peace.

Although no one stayed at the watch scaffolds over night, the activists were all at their various posts before dawn. I was posted at the scaffold 3. Although we can request for different posts, it is best to be posted where we are familiar with the conditions.
Today, there were many activists who participated in yesterday’s Futenma protests who came to join us. As a result, the atmosphere atop the scaffolds was quite cheerful. Even though the construction vessels came as planned, we felt sage because there were many of us.
Tokyo Broadcasting System(TBS) came to report on our activities. It has been a while since the last time a media outlet visited us. Perhaps this is a positive consequence of the Futenma protests. We conducted the interview while clinging to the metal construction pipes of the scaffolds…I wonder if we appeared on national TV? Perhaps the Thursday night "news 23"?

Greenpeace Japan is currently looking for volunteers who can sit in at Henoko. From June 8th, Hiro-san (left) and Ippei-san (right) will be participating in the sit-in protest. They will be providing a daily account of their activities from the sea of Dugong, Henoko on this blog.

This is my first day to be participating in the sit-in protest at Henoko. The U.S. military has arrived on the beach of Henoko for their training exercises. The well-being of the Dugong and the coral weigh in on my mind.

Today we left for our various scaffold posts at 6:30 am. There is a possibility that the salvage efforts for the U.S. amphibious vehicle that sank in the waters of Henoko yesterday will happen today. We are also watching for construction ships that may attempt to carry out bowling-experiments. There are four scafflods in all, 1-2-3-and 5. Today I am posted at the third scaffold. There are seven of us in all, including one who will only be with us for today.

At around 9 am, U.S. military personnel arrived by inflatable boat to observe the wreckage of their amphibious vehicle. Although it is very difficult to see from this distance, the black dot in the center is the inflatable boat. Today a Korean T.V. crew came to interview us concerning our activities, and they also filmed the activities of the U.S. military with their camera.

Today’s maritime protest was relatively peaceful. The U.S. military appeared to observe the wreckage in the morning, but disappeared from sight at around noon. The construction ships did not appear, so we swam and rested on the wooden floors of the scaffolds. In the afternoon the sunlight became very strong, so I swam in the shallow and beautiful waters below the scaffold #3.

Today our maritime protest ended at around 3 pm. This is a photo of a Japanese coast guard vessel heading towards the site of the wreckage. The area around the wreckage reeks with the smell of fuel which has leaked out of the vessel. The U.S. military has allegedly dispersed neutralizing and dispersal agents into the oil clotted waters. However, neither the Japanese coast guard nor the Defense Agency has done anything to cope with the oil slick, and they will not even answer our questions when we question or criticize their lack of action. The pollution of Henoko waters is getting worse. It is hard to believe that they expect the fishes, and Dugong to live in such waters.

Good Morning. This morning we were told to wait at the tent. Last night around 8 o'clock, a coast guard observation vessel arrived. The heavy crude from the wreckage of the U.S. military vessel has arrived at the port Henoko. Today we have dispatched our own vessel to examine the extent of the oil slick. According to the information from our observers, the oil from the wreckage covers a wide area around the site. From photos and video we can see that the oil is flowing towards Ginoza.

Since today is Saturday, things were a little more relaxed, and we waited in the tent. Since there was little activity out in the water even in the afternoon, we decided to take our activities into town and raise awareness of the current situation by calling out to people and through a candle light vigil. We also took our activities to the entrance of Camp Schwab.

There were children playing around in front of the tent. Watching them play, I felt as if the waters of Henoko were something that must be protected for future generations.

Is it OK for adults who have the responsibility to teach our children the importance and beauty of our environment, destroy the very heritage they must pass down?

We are vigilant from early in the morning today. It has been a while since the construction ships last appeared, but today there were seven appearing by the scaffolds. However, we had placed our activists on the scaffolds before they had ever arrived, so the construction never took place.
The weather today wasn’t that great either.

It was a windy and rainy day just as forecasted. The weather was so bad that neither the construction ships nor our activists were able to get out to sea. We ended up sitting-in in our tent. I think it will be lunch time in a little bit.

The rain and wind became even stronger in the afternoon, and we were crammed in our tents. The people who came to support us and those who were out at sea were all crammed in a tiny little tent, and we spent the whole day in there. I have heard that the oil that leaked out of the U.S. military vessel have reached a small island around here—I am concerned about how this weather will effect the oil-spill.

The torrents of rain which began yesterday keep on falling. The rain which falls on the land become big puddles of sandy slush, that flow into the Henoko port and make the waters a murky colour. The rain is now intermittent, but the construction has been halted for now. Within the tent, people are saying that nature has the power to protect the sea.

Good Morning.
Today's weather is not favorable either. Although the rain was stronger in the past few days, today it has been reduced to a mere drizzle. Yesterday I stayed at friend's house in Ishikawa, located in the center of Okinawa. I received a big bottle of Awamori—an Okinawan rice brandy. Currently, I am on my way back to Henoko by bus. Today the wind isn’t very strong, so perhaps my colleagues are out on the scaffolds, or maybe they are still in the tent? This is a picture of the beautiful Shiisa (lion -shaped roof ornament of Okinawa) that I saw in Ishikawa.

And yet another day of rain. I have heard that this year, Okinawa has not received much rain as in later years, but now it seems as if all the rain that was suppose to fall in the last few weeks is pouring down upon Okinawa all at once! As a result the construction ships cannot go out. It has also given members of our group who have tirelessly gone out to sea to sit-in upon the scaffolds and prevent construction to have a break. The rain has also had some adverse effects on the roads, and it has also caused some mud slides to occur.
Salvage efforts to raise the U.S. military amphibious vehicle that sank last week were also called off because of the rain. According to the papers, there were articles that claimed that the U.S. military has “capped the fuel entrance to avoid oil leaks” and “neutralized the oil with dispersant.” However, we have evidence on the contrary that indicates that the oil has leaked and has also spread. Since this accident occurred in water that is designated as American property; neither the province of Okinawa, nor the Japanese government can take action to protect and preserve the environment. This situation has made me realize the reality of how the U.S. military treats Okinawa as if it were a military colony. Both the province and the state should be able to take a resolute stance and make appropriate demands to cope with the current situation.

It is afternoon, and the people who have been working out at sea have returned. There are people from as far as Tokyo and Kumamoto working here. Even if we are from different places, we are united in our passion to protect Henoko and its waters.

For Henoko to acquire status as a marine-wildlife preservation area as soon as possible, we need your help- we need you to come to Henoko and have your voice heard. If you cannot come, you need to have your voice heard by taking cyber-action and emailing Prime Minister Koizumi. With all of your cooperation and collective power we can make the governments withdraw their plans to make a base.

Near the tent, there is a memorial called the tower of peace. It was created a decade ago on the fiftieth anniversary of the end of the war. If everyone is praying for world peace, why do we need a base in Henoko?—it is simply unnecessary. Not only do I wish that a base would not appear in Henoko, I wish that all the bases in Okinawa would disappear.

This is a cat who lives in our tent. He is sleeping very soundly. Just looking at his sleeping face makes me feel tranquil and happy.

I saw this in a small park near the tent. It does now have any keys, and anyone can pick up a book and read whenever they please. Whenever I borrow a book, I never forget to return it.

For the past few days, not a construction ships appeared. However, there maybe ships coming out tomorrow, so we must not let our guard down. Hence, I will get a good rest tonight. This will be my twelveth day sleeping in the tent. It’s pretty nice hearing the sound of the waves breaking on the shore, although—sometimes we are rudely awakened by the buzzing of mosquitoes.

Since we are suspecting the construction ships to appear today, we have climbed up on the scaffolds for the first time in days. However, since the weather became poor in the afternoon, we decided to return to the tent and sit-in again.

While waiting in the tent, there was a sudden downpour of rain. I am so glad that I got back early from the scaffold! I am glad that the construction ships did not appear because of the rain, but the being in the tent when it is so rainy and windy is not easy.

Here we have to make breakfast and dinner for ourselves, but lunch is given to us. However, recently there have been kind people who make dinner for us by turns- and we are extremely grateful. The food is extremely delicious.
Thank You Very Much.

At 7:30 in the morning, construction workers and divers appeared at Camp Schwab. At around 8 a.m. eight work vessels appeared to travel to each scaffold. They came to replace the safety lights top of each scaffold, but after negotiating with us, it was agreed upon that our members would replace these items so that they would not touch the scaffolds.
Rumors concerning the possibility that an airbase would be built within Camp Schwab coincide with the impending return of Futenma to Japanese jurisdiction. Just as they had attempted this morning, the work-crews are persistent in preparing the scaffolds to implement their bowling experiments on the Henoko seafloor.