Just when criticism of a contentious land reclamation project in Nagasaki Prefecture's Isahaya Bay appeared to have blown over, the issue has been rekindled with reports that large amounts of cultivated seaweed in the Ariake Sea, which flows into the bay, are losing their color and yellowing.
Critics say the dike erected in April 1997 to seal off the part of the bay earmarked for reclamation has effectively stopped the flow of good quality water into the sea.
The complex water-management projects related to the reclamation project have led to a disruption of the environment and the discoloration of the ribbonlike seaweed, called laver, which is a traditional companion to rice on the Japanese table, they charge.