This campaign closes at 24:00 on Sunday, May 23rd.（Japan time）
Submission to the government is Friday, May 28th.
Please spread this campaign to your friends on SNS etc. in the next few days. Expand public support for this campaign.

Japanease　Version

Military base construction and Okinawa dugong　　　　　　　　While pushing forward to construct an air base for the U.S. military by landfilling Henoko-Oura Bay, Okinawa, Japan, and ignoring Okinawa's democratic voice against construction,[1] the Japanese government has encountered an inconvenient call from nature.

Between February and August 2020, in the immediate vicinity of the construction site, the Japanese government's monitoring system recoded more than 200 times what appeared to be "dugong calls."[2] The Okinawa dugong is a critically endangered marine mammal[3], Japan's Natural Monument, and Okinawa's cultural icon. It is one of the most emblematic creatures of Henoko-Oura Bay[4] where 5,300 marine species including 260 endangered ones strive for their survival. 

The Japanese government’s refusal 　　　　　　　　　　　　NGOs and national Diet members have requested[5] several times the Japanese government to release the recordings so that external experts could listen to the sounds and determine whether they are of dugongs or not.

Regrettably, the Japanese government has refused the request. One has to wonder why the simple act of releasing recorded sounds is so difficult to do.

Some reasons for this refusal seem apparent. The Japanese government states in its Environment Impact Studies[6] that dugongs rarely use this area, and that if any dugong is present in the construction area, construction will be stopped at least temporarily for further environmental review.

Sign the petition and be part of a new dugong story 　　　　We are doubling down on our efforts to get the recordings released and to see if any dugong is calling for help. And we ask you to join us.

Okinawa's dugong legends tell us,[7] if you listen to dugong calls and follow their "advice," your precious life will be spared from natural disaster.

We believe a new dugong story is now in the making. Please sign the petition. Please be part of this new dugong story to save the wonders of Henoko-Oura Bay from this disastrous construction.

Thank you!

We call on the Japanese government to  　　　　　　　　　　1. release the recordings of what are considered as “dugong calls”;

 2. stop transporting sand and earth by ship for base construction during night;

 3. follow the Okinawa prefectural government’s directives and stop  base construction

[1] https://www.pref.okinawa.jp/site/chijiko/henoko/english.html

[2] https://apjjf.org/2020/16/YoshikawaOEJP.html

[3]https://www.iucnredlist.org/ja/species/157011948/157011982

[4] https://mission-blue.org/2019/10/japans-first-hope-spot-honors-rare-coral-reefs-and-dugong-habitats/

[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJQVlVay0jc&feature=emb_logo

[6]https://apjjf.org/2020/16/YoshikawaOEJP.html

[7] https://www.jelf-justice.org/jelf/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/US00004156-Welch-2010.pdf

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