NAGO, Okinawa Pref. -- From a tiny desert island off the U.S. Marine Corps' Camp Schwab, Takuma Higashionna looks out over the coral reef amid clear water.
"They're going to build (an airport) there," he says. "Can you believe it?"
Seaweed in this shallow coastal area is believed to nurture a number of dugongs, which have been spotted several times recently in the surrounding waters.