In the
latest jab of his ongoing dispute with China, Tokyo Governor Ishirahara Shintaro
has commissioned the construction of a bridge to Okinotorishima, an atoll of three
rocky outcrops in the Philippine Sea some 1740km (1080 miles) south of the
capital. The cost of the two-lane bridge will be Y450 trillion, which will be
met entirely by an increase in Tokyo residents` tax.
At a press
conference yesterday, Ishirahara outlined the rationale behind the project. `This
is absolutely necessary to maintain Japan`s national integrity,` he explained.
`The racially pure Japanese marine life around the islands will feel secure in
their hearts and safe from foreign incursion only if there is a solid concrete
link to the fatherland.`
He was
angered by a question about whether he stood to benefit personally from the plan. `How dare you suggest any collusion?` he
fumed. `I won`t be receiving an honorary directorship and large annual stipend
from the construction company, and neither will my son.`
Engineers
estimate construction of the bridge will take up to eighty years, while
oceanographers predict that by 2060 the atoll will have been either eroded by seawater acidification or completely
submerged by rising sea levels.
