Wild Beauty Far from Modern Comforts

The Shiretoko region in eastern Hokkaidō is dominated by the Shiretoko Peninsula jutting out into the Sea of Okhotsk. This is home to the Shiretoko Mountain Range, lakes and marshes, and abundant marine life. The area is also an important breeding and hibernation ground for rare species, including Blakiston’s fish owl, the Steller’s sea eagle, and the white-tailed eagle. In 2005, a 71,100-hectare zone of land and sea in Shiretoko was added to the UNESCO Natural World Heritage List.

The Shiretoko Mountain Range with sea ice in the foreground. (© Pixta)

A brown bear in Shiretoko. (© Pixta)

Much of the Shiretoko Peninsula and surrounding waters is devoid of people, and there is limited cellphone reception. It is believed that when the sightseeing craft Kazu I sank off of Shiretoko in April 2022, phones on the boat were no use because of the limited coverage.

The wreck of the Kazu I (bottom left) is raised to the surface by a salvage vessel near Shari, Hokkaidō. (© Jiji)

Locals claim that if cellphone coverage had been better, it would have been possible to guide the craft to a harbor of refuge, or to begin rescue efforts sooner. Cellphones are important for fishermen as well. After the accident, the municipalities of Shari (located on the north side of the Shiretoko Peninsula) and Rausu (on the south side) demanded that the central government erect cell towers in an environmentally sustainable manner.

A plan released by the authorities in response to these calls provides for cellphone towers in the Shiretoko Five Lakes area, which is popular with tourists, Utoro, which has a port as well as accommodation facilities, the Cape Shiretoko Lighthouse on the tip of the peninsula, and the nearby Nikariusu coastal region.

When details of the plan were revealed in spring of this year, however, increased concerns were expressed over the environment. Of greatest concern was the plan to build a cell tower on the site of the Cape Shiretoko Lighthouse, an area that is normally devoid of both people and vehicles. To power the tower, the plan called for 264 three-meter-high solar panels on a 7,000 square meter site about the size of a soccer pitch, the total footprint of human-made structures being 745 square meters. The plan also calls for 2 kilometers of buried cable.

In a statement, the Ministry of the Environment said,

“Having considered the public interest in safety and convenience, as well as the environment, we judged that the planned cell tower is appropriate. The solar panels will not be visible from the water, and will therefore not cause visual pollution.”

Over 40,000 Sign Petition

Gorai Sakae, who championed the movement to put Shiretoko on the World Heritage list during his term as mayor of Shari, chairs a residents’ group called “lovers of the Shiretoko natural environment.” Gorai is calling on the central government to rethink its decision to build the tower.

“When this area was listed by UNESCO almost twenty years ago, we hoped that no more artificial structures would be built on the Shiretoko Peninsula,” says Gorai. “The way that we have worked together here to protect the environment is what makes Shiretoko so special. We must remember that we swore to live here despite the inconvenience that entails, and to pass this philosophy down to the next generation.”

The residents’ group collected 47,600 signatures from around the country, and began submitting the petition to local bodies and the central government in July. The petition calls for construction work on the cell towers at the tip of the peninsula to be called off, and instead for alternative measures, such as the upgrade of existing towers, to be carried out to improve coverage. Other organizations, including the Nature Conservation Society of Japan, have also expressed concern over the plan to erect a tower on Cape Shiretoko.

Current Shari Mayor Yamauchi Hiroaki responded by suggesting at the end of May that work at Cape Shiretoko be suspended while construction work on the other towers, which will have less environmental impact, goes ahead, and for a decision on the Cape Shiretoko tower to be made after it had been determined to what extent coverage had improved.

“People have expressed concerns on environmental grounds—I think we should take a step back and try and find a solution,” says Yamauchi.

Construction Work Suspended Indefinitely

There have also been claims that not enough time was spent determining the impact on the breeding grounds of the white-tailed eagle, which is a designated National Treasure. A scientific committee for the study of the Shiretoko region as a natural World Heritage monument has asked the Environment Ministry to suspend construction work so that further studies can be conducted on the tower’s impact on vegetation and the eagle’s breeding grounds, and sufficient consultation can be held with local residents. The lack of explanation around the plan has also been criticized.

A white-tailed eagle flies over the Shiretoko Peninsula. (© Pixta)

In response to these calls, the ministry said it plans to hold a further round of discussions with local residents and other stakeholders regarding studies on the impact on the white-tailed eagle and the rest of the ecosystem. Work on the tower has therefore been suspended indefinitely.

Tower Supporters Also Petition Government

A countermovement calling for the tower to be built as soon as possible is also gaining momentum.

In June 2024, 12 local fishery organizations and other groups sent a statement to the central and local governments calling for construction to be brought forward. The statement argues that the governmental authorities, cellular operators, and other stakeholders in the region have already conducted “thorough and repeated consultation” on environmental issues, and that no changes should be sought to the plan.

Sakurai Akemi, the secretary of a local organization that endorsed the statement, says,

“Despite receiving many visitors, Shiretoko has little cellphone coverage, and this creates issues of safety and convenience. The boating disaster highlighted this.”

She continues, “It would be a different story if there was a more environmentally friendly alternative. At the moment, however, the most sustainable option is to use solar panels to power the tower. If there are technological advances in the future, the panels can simply be made smaller.”

Collectors of kelp and sea urchin, who operate from very small boats, are also calling for better cellphone coverage. (© Pixta)

The municipality of Rausu, which occupies the southern half of the peninsula, has called for the cell towers to be built as soon as possible, saying that while the environment is important, safety must come first.

Work to convert part of the Shiretoko Peninsula to farmland and build check dams to combat erosion began in the early twentieth century. Beginning in 1977, through movements like the Shiretoko 100-Square-Meter Movement, which called for the establishment of a national trust and appealed for donations from around the country, people in the region have worked to conserve the natural environment. It has been the complex relationship between the pro- and antidevelopment lobbies that has enabled local residents to restore and preserve the natural environment in Shiretoko.

All new construction projects that affect the region’s “outstanding universal value” (the criterion for heritage listing) must be reported to UNESCO. However, the Ministry of the Environment decided the cell tower plan was so trivial that it did not need to be reported. It was only after receiving inquiries on the matter from UNESCO at the end of August that the ministry informed the international body.

Calls for a Forum for Discussion

Shikida Asami, a lecturer in tourism at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and the chair of a group to debate appropriate ecotourism in the Shiretoko heritage area, says,

“Cell towers would be desirable in the interests of safety, but we also need to place importance on the natural and visual environment in this World Heritage area. Arguments that are biased toward either camp should be avoided.”

She continues, “The failure to provide sufficient information during the debate process, to either those in the environmental movement or the scientific committee, was a major source of confusion. We need the protower and pro-environment camps, as well as third parties, to debate the issue fully and explore the possibility of using satellite phones or other technologies to enhance safety before attempting to reach a higher level of agreement.”

Headaches Elsewhere, Too

Essentially, the Shiretoko cell tower debate is one of balancing development against the environment, including with respect to the large solar panels and buried cables that will be necessary to provide electricity to the facilities.

Around Japan, solar panels are being blamed for visual pollution. (© Pixta)

A Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications survey of 24 prefectures with high rates of solar-panel installation found that 40% had experienced problems. The survey found that visual pollution caused by the panels themselves, and the need to cut grass and otherwise maintain solar farms, were issues. The recent nationwide push to install panels in accordance with the central government’s renewable energy policy is causing friction in communities everywhere. In view of this, the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry has called for discussions with local communities on the issue.

Where environmental concerns meet the realities of renewable energy, disputes can arise. Shiretoko is expected to become a model case in which a dispute is solved through compromises from both sides.

(Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo: The Shiretoko Peninsula, where the government is proposing to build cell towers and install solar panels. © Pixta.)