Transport minister calls for protection of 'Ponyo' bay
Sunday, 26 October 2008
Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Kazuyoshi Kaneko has weighed into the debate swirling around plans for a picturesque bay in Setonaikai National Park, siding with local residents against proposed reclamation plans by the local government.
"I feel we should leave this area of natural beauty alone," said Kaneko at a post-Cabinet press meeting on Friday.
The municipal and prefectural governments came up with the plans in 1983 to carry out land reclamation in some areas of the Tomonoura Bay in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, and build a 180-meter bypass bridge as part of their disaster prevention policy. However, local residents, with backing from film director Nobuhiko Obayashi, filed suit in the Hiroshima District Court to block the plans in 2007.
The bay reportedly inspired the setting for anime director Hayao Miyazaki's most recent film, "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea."
(Mainichi Japan) October 25, 2008
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