Fishermen in Kumamoto Prefecture started debating Wednesday whether to accept compensation for construction of a dam that will affect their fishing grounds, a project first proposed 35 years ago.
The members of the Kuma River Fishermen's Cooperative are discussing a compensation package offered by the Land, Infrastructure, and Transport Ministry at an emergency meeting in Hitoyoshi.
The ministry is offering the cooperative 1.65 billion yen in compensation and 35 plans to help them, including efforts to develop new fishing grounds.
The ministry needs the approval of the cooperative before late December, which is the deadline for the government to apply for a court order to seize the land.
In July 1966, the government announced a plan to build a dam on the Kawabe River, which flows into the Kuma River, where the cooperative's members fish.
The dam, intended to provide irrigation, would be one of the largest in Kyushu, creating a reservoir of up to 133 million cu. meters.
Residents of the villages of Itsuki and Sagara, which would be submerged if the dam is built, gave their go-ahead to the project in 1996.
But construction was postponed mainly because the government was unable to resolve the compensation issue with the fishermen. The government has also faced strong opposition from some local people who say the dam will harm the natural environment.
The cooperative and the government started talks on compensation in November last year.