Overview
- Prefectural officials decided on Nov. 12 to demand prompt submission of soil-contamination findings from Japan Ecology and are arranging to summon company executives to the Hokkaido government office.
- Hokkaido has instructed the developer to keep construction halted until the soil survey is completed.
- The Culture Agency plans to dispatch staff to Kushiro for an on-site inspection to check potential impacts on red-crowned cranes.
- The Environment Ministry has launched discussions on legal revisions that could introduce penalties for actions that harm rare species.
- Coverage has also reported that about 20% of the planned project was sold to a Singapore-linked investor.