2016年12月7日水曜日

Director Isao Takahata makes appeal to (the President), requesting halt on Takae Helipad construction in open letter signed by over 100 people 2016/12/06


Director Isao Takahata makes appeal to (the President), requesting halt on Takae Helipad construction in open letter signed by over 100 people

Anime director Isao Takahata

December 6 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo




With the handover of the majority of land occupied by the U.S. military in the Northern Training Area (NTA) in Okinawa set to take place at the end of the month, over 100 people representing 27 groups including members of the Diet, scholars, celebrities, and citizens groups have a signed an emergency open letter to President Obama. The letter is requesting an immediate halt on forced construction in the NTA which continues to be an environmental burden and blatant disregard of public opinion. Advocates for the construction stoppage and the contents of the letter were announced at a Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan press conference in Tokyo on December 7.



In addition to House of Representatives member Seiken Akamine and House of Councillors member Keiko Itokazu, anime director Isao Takhata, and journalist and documentary maker Chie Mikami all signed their names to the letter. Advocates for the stoppage are expected to increase hereafter. The letter touches on the Japanese government’s outrageous policies, the situation thrust upon Okinawan residents, and Okinawa’s valuable natural environment.

One representative member, Hitomi Tsuji, noted, “Citizens have to this point made various appeals to the Japanese government, however none of them have yielded a reasonable response.” Additionally, she stressed that, “as the handover date approaches, we are left with no choice but to appeal directly to the President, government, and people of the United States, in hopes that they take interest in the problem as the centrally concerned party.”

(Translated by T&CT and Sam Grieb)

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Director Isao Takahata makes appeal to (the President), requesting halt on Takae Helipad construction in open letter signed by over 100 people

December 6 2016 Ryukyu Shimpo

高畑勲監督ら大統領へ訴え 高江ヘリパッド工事中止求め 100人超が公開書簡



今月末の過半返還に向け、米軍北部訓練場で推し進められている環境負荷や民意を無視した強行工事の即時中止を求め、国会議員や学者、文化人、市民団体など27団体100人以上が、米大統領に宛てた緊急公開書簡を提出することが分かった。7日に東京都内の外国特派員協会である記者会見で公開書簡の内容と賛同者を発表する。

 赤嶺政賢衆院議員や糸数慶子参院議員のほか、アニメ映画監督の高畑勲さん、ジャーナリストで映画監督の三上智恵さんらが名を連ね、賛同者は今後も増える見通し。書簡には日本政府の理不尽な対応や地域住民が置かれている状況、沖縄の貴重な自然環境について触れる。

 代表メンバーの一人である辻仁美さんは「市民はこれまでさまざまな訴えを日本政府に試みてきたが、良識ある反応が全く得られない」と指摘。その上で「返還日が迫る中、米国の大統領や政府、市民に直接訴え掛け、問題の当事者として関心を持ってもらう以外に方法はない」と強調した。

英文へ→Director Isao Takahata makes appeal to (the President), requesting halt on Takae Helipad construction in open letter signed by over 100 people