Agriculture Minister Yoshio Yatsu on Tuesday announced that he will open the water gates of a dike closing off a large part of Isahaya Bay to see if it improves water quality in the Ariake Sea.
Yatsu made the decision in the evening after a report from an advisory council to the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry that recommended the government open the gates.
Water quality in the Ariake Sea has deteriorated since the dike was installed in 1997.