MATSUE, Shimane Pref. -- As the controversial project to fill in Isahaya Bay in Nagasaki Prefecture takes its toll on the marine environment, local residents here are battling against another unwanted public works project that appears to serve no purpose.
In Shimane, public attention has again focused on the reclamation of Lake Nakaumi, Japan's fifth-largest inland body of water, in connection with a development project designed decades ago. In late May, citizen groups from Nagasaki and Shimane prefectures concerned about the projects' effects on local ecosystems held a joint meeting in Matsue and reaffirmed their goal to halt work at both sites.
"Between May and August last year, we collected 540,000 signatures in Shimane to petition the authorities to abort the Nakaumi project," said 60-year-old Takehiko Hobo, a professor of public finance at Shimane University and the head of a local citizens' group. "With Isahaya and Nakaumi in tandem, we will continue to stage our protest at the national level."