PRESS CONFERENCE

The Battle to Save Katoku, Amami-Oshima's "Jurassic Beach"

Jean-Marc Takaki, 
Association for the protection of Amami's forest, rivers and coastal ecosystems
Tomoko Uchiyama, Painter artist and Pandan craft weaver

14:00-15:00 Wednesday, November 2, 2022
(The speech and Q&A will be in English and Japanese with English interpretation.)

 

A long-running effort to save one of Japan's last beach hamlets with its natural dunes and free-flowing river has come to a head. Last week the construction company charged with building a 6.5 meter-high seawall moved bulldozers onto the site despite peaceful resistance and sit-ins by local residents seeking a review of the construction project. Katoku beach has the only record of a leatherback sea turtle spawning in Japan, and the area hosts critically endangered fauna. Opponents of the sea wall claim Katoku beach and the natural river form a critical part of the Amami-Oshima UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. 

Jean-Marc Takaki will join us via a zoom link from Amami-Oshima Island to explain the background, current context and prospects going forward. Tomoko Uchiyama will describe the incidents that have led her to allege mistreatment by officials and their refusal to investigate complaints.

Further background on the issue can be gleaned from a short documentary by Adam Lewis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au1uqodOQLw　　And this Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/katokuhama/ gives a look at what's happening on the ground now.

 

How to attend: 
Please register at front@fccj.or.jp with your name, the name of your media outlet, and FCCJ membership number. Due to space restrictions attendance will be limited. Doors open 15 minutes before the event. Please sign in, giving your name and contact details at the reception, and have your temperature taken before proceeding. 

How to watch online: https://www.youtube.com/c/FCCJchannel/live 　
Livestreaming of the press events will be available and video of this event will be uploaded to our FCCJ YouTube channel. 

How to ask questions: https://forms.gle/qERScsv4Jqmx9Duo8 
Members watching the event online can submit questions for the speakers in advance using this submission form.

TV crew: Please make a reservation at front@fccj.or.jp. Doors open for TV crews only at 30 minutes before the event. 


Professional Activities Committee