Concerns have been raised about possible noise pollution and destruction of nature over a plan being floated to build a Self-Defense Forces base on Mageshima island in Nishinoomote, Kagoshima Prefecture.

The facility will serve as a training site, including for U.S. military aircraft.

The central government should address those concerns in fulfilling its accountability in accordance with due process. Tokyo is facing its first test over how seriously it will work on the environmental impact assessment, which is currently under way.

The plan involves building two runways, mooring facilities for vessels and other structures on Mageshima, an uninhabited islet 12 kilometers to the west of Tanegashima island.

The planned military base will be hosting not only drills by SDF aircraft but also field carrier landing practices by U.S. carrier-based aircraft, which will be relocated there from Iwoto island, where they are currently conducted.

Koichi Shiota, governor of Kagoshima Prefecture, submitted a written opinion to the Defense Ministry late last month on a “scoping document,” in which the ministry spelled out study methods and procedures for the environmental assessment.

The written opinion, which took into account the views presented by residents and the Nishinoomote city government, contains 52 requests that cover the environment, ecosystems, scenery and other subjects.

The governor requested that a “draft environmental impact statement,” which will be worked out in the next stage, include findings from noise studies that will assume flights over Tanegashima island, which is home to 28,000 residents; the configuration and sizes of the planned port facilities; and measures to be taken for preserving the environment.

The problem is that the Defense Ministry has withheld concrete details of the SDF aircraft drills and the facilities. The ministry has only said those details will be decided on the basis of future studies.

But noise is expected to directly affect the quietude of everyday lives. The construction work could have a big impact on the water quality, living creatures and fisheries around the site depending on how the work will be conducted, including whether it will involve land reclamation.

It is only too natural for the local community to have raised questions on them.

On a different front, the Defense Ministry has said the U.S. military aircraft practices will be held only once or twice a year, each for a duration of 10 days or so. The ministry has also presented planned route maps for the U.S. practices, which involve no flights over Tanegashima island.

U.S. military aircraft, however, have repeatedly ignored their predetermined routes and altitudes during their flights over Okinawa and mainland Japan. In addition, the government of Japan has given tacit approvals to similar breaches of rules or, at the very best, only made perfunctory protests without taking any effective measures.

In building a new military base in the Henoko district of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, against the popular will, the Defense Ministry has violated a condition imposed by the prefectural government, which said that coral should not be transplanted out of the planned reclamation site during seasons of high water temperatures and other periods.

The attitude of the ministry’s officials openly show that they are, in all likelihood, only concerned about pressing ahead with their own projects, with consideration for the environment relegated to the back burner.

As mistrust is fueling further mistrust, Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said at a news conference that he believes it is “important to gain the understanding and cooperation of the local community.”

He should reflect seriously on what he should do to gain the understanding and cooperation that he spoke of.

There are diverse views on the Mageshima base construction plan, with the local community split on the pros and cons.

One thing that is clear is that a slipshod environmental assessment could make it difficult for residents and local governments to make appropriate decisions and thereby allow the rift to drag on into the future.

The central government should take to heart that the planned base could not be operated stably without the understanding and cooperation of the local community.

 --The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 5