By Suvendrini Kakuchi
TOKYO, Jan 31 2000 (IPS)

The national government says a giant dam project in Tokushima town, in southern Japan, will push through despite a landmark referendum that saw local residents vote overwhelmingly against the project.

Still, Tokyo has pledged to increase efforts to turn public tide in its favour, and to try to make the people see why the dam across the Yoshino River is necessary.

Says an official at the construction ministry: “Referendum aside, we will make it our duty to convince the people why we have to go ahead with the dam.”

According to the government, the dam is needed to prevent flooding. It seemed to have assumed that the people of Tokushima saw the situation this way as well, and until a week ago, Tokyo was acting as if it did not have any real problems there.

Indeed, it was an exasperated but apparently confident government that had suggested a referendum in which the town’s residents could vote for or against the dam, after being pestered incessantly by anti-dam activists. The dam opposition movement had even presented an alternative plan to the 103 billion-yen (almost one billion dollars) project.

The referendum took place on Jan 23. Unfortunately for the government, 90 percent of the more the 55,500 people who went to the polls voted ‘no’.

The referendum is not legally binding, which means the government can still go push through with the project if it wants to.

A furious Construction Minister Masaaki Nakayama has already said he would ignore the results of the referendum. He told reporters last week, “I don’t want to let the outcome of the plebiscite determine the future of the project…I will see that the dam plan is finalised during my term in office.”

But Masayoshi Himeno, the 53-year-old leader of the dam oppositionists, observes: “It would be a regrettable decision (to go ahead with the dam). What is needed now is a thorough discussion between the people and the construction ministry, taking into careful consideration the people’s concerns.”

“The crux of the matter is why pay for something that the local residents do not want,” he adds. “Japanese people are sick and tired of having to carry the burden of paying for expensive public works projects that do not necessarily bring benefits to them.”

In recent years, Japanese have become much more assertive in questioning the decisions of the government. In Japan’s first local referendum in August 1996, residents of Achanti-Niigata prefecture rejected the consruction of a nuclear plant in their area.

Activists have said that the planned dam in Tokushima simply too expensive. They also say that is environmentally destructive and will only pollute the Yoshino River.

The picturesque town of Tokushima actually has an existing dam, which despite being 250 years old has managed to prevent flooding up to present times.

Activists argue that the old stone dam can be repaired if there are any problems with it. They say this will cost just a quarter of what would be spent on the new project, as well as preserve the beauty of the surrounding landscape.

Some observers say the vote in Tokushima is an indication that the Japanese people have had enough of what is known as the ‘iron triangle’ of politicians, bureaucrats and the construction industry.

“This system, which has long been accused of massive cutbacks being shared (among) politicians, bureaucrats and the construction industry, is not tolerated by the people anymore,” says Chuo University Professor Akio Ogawa, who has written a book on large-scale corruption done by the ‘triangle’.

Ogawa, who teaches public policy, notes that public debt is rising in Japan. This debt is now at almost 600 trillion yen ( 5.71 trillion dollars), an amount that has gone mostly to expensive public works projects. “People are aware that the government will have to raise taxes to keep paying for these projects, a situation they do not want,” says the professor.

Instead, he says, people want their tax money to pay for better social development programmes such as an improved pension system and educational reforms.

But Himeno admits that the dam oppositionists were not sure at first whether they should take up the government’s challenge to hold the referendum. Once they decided to do so, he says, they doubled their efforts to put their message across.

“We didn’t want to lose so we began several programmes to educate the people about the bad effects of the dam and explained our alternative plans,” he says. “Our hard work brought us success.”

Himeno says, however, that they are not about to relax just yet, especially now that the government looks more determined than ever to see the project through. Declares Himeno: “We will continue to work even harder to promote the reasoning why money and the environment can be saved, if the people so wish it.”

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