NAGANOHARA, Gunma Pref. — Leading a new life without a dam is an idea that people in this small mountain town in Gunma Prefecture had never thought of before, and many appear unable to think of it even after land minister Seiji Maehara suggested it during his visit there last Wednesday.
The visit only highlighted the gaping division between the new government's no-dam policy and residents waiting to get a fresh start alongside the almost 60-year-old Yamba Dam project.
"I still can't believe that the dam might really fall through," said a woman in one of the five relocation sites for affected residents the day after Maehara, who had became land minister only a week earlier, reiterated the project will be canceled at a meeting with local leaders.