| Budget Amount *help |
¥3,800,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,800,000)
Fiscal Year 2004: ¥1,500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000)
Fiscal Year 2003: ¥2,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,300,000)
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| Research Abstract |
This study investigated the reason why local residents in a community vicinal to the Kadena US Airbase keep living in there despite the extremely high level of noise exposure by means of the method of community life-history study.
Firstly, the investigator studied the history of Okinawa from the point of view of its relationship with mainland Japan and found that the history of Okinawa is interpreted by the majority of local people as such that Japan has utilized Okinawa to pursue her own interests. For military, historical and geographical reasons about 75% of US bases and facilities are located in Okinawa whose area size is only 6% of the area size of Japan. The fact has promoted the state to provide for local development in the budget, but it also indicates, as interpreted by local people, that Japan has enjoyed peace and prosperity on the sacrifice of Okinawa. The accidents and environmental demolition caused by the activities of US military as well as crimes committed by officers a
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nd soldiers are taken as a part of the sacrifice.
An epidemiology study conducted by the Okinawa prefecture reported tremendous noise exposure in a community named as Sunabe which was located in the vicinity of the Kadena US Airbase and the various health effects caused by the noise exposure were found among the local residents. To solve the problem of unbearable noise exposure the state has taken measures of move-out of households and sound insulation of residences in the community since 1975.
Accordingly, about half of households in the community have moved out until now leaving scattered patches of lands purchased by the state where various trees are planted after the move-out. When asked, the locals still living in the community answer mentioning about the love for the place, the ceremonies they keep the number of which reaches about fifty in a year and human relationship with the other locals. However, they say at the time reduction of households in the community results in the gradual decline of the community activity.
The state has recently presented a development plan of the community with the relocation of the houses located in the severest noise zone to moderate one, but it has been found out that the plan is not feasible because the state-owned land cannot be exchanged with the local residents' land.
For all the efforts, the difficulties the community faces due to the tremendous noise of the US airbase have not been solved and the risk of shrink and disappearance of the community in the future is seemingly getting higher and higher Is the community in the process of becoming modern 'Yanakamura' village which extinguished about a hundred years ago due to water pollution of the river Watarase-gawa caused by Furukawa mining industry? Less
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