1To UNESCO World Heritage Center(Cc to IUCN world heritage program)
Urgent Report on the Problem of mobile phone communication base Development
at Shiretoko World Natural Heritage Site, Hokkaido, Japan
We, The Nature Conservation Society of Japan and the Nature Conservation Society ofHokkaido, urgently report on the situation at the Shiretoko World Natural Heritage Site, inrelating to para 174 of the Operational Guideline for World Heritage Convention.
A mobile phone operator, with the support and permission of the Government of Japan, isabout to embark on a project to build a mobile phone communication base and solar power
facility, and we express our strong concerns about the impact of this on Outstanding Universal
Values of Shiretoko.
We understand that this new construction is required for notification under paragraph 172 of
the Operational Guidelines, and this issue should be communicated and resolved between theWorld Heritage Center, together with its advisory body IUCN, and Government of Japan.

1. Overview of the plan for the development of mobile phone communication bases
The sinking of a tourist boat in April 2022 killed 20 people and left six missing. In responseto local requests, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) and theMinistry of the Environment (MOE) have therefore been trying to promote the strengtheningof mobile phone communications on and around the Shiretoko Peninsula and have alreadyprovided financial support and permission to the plan for development of four mobile phone
communication bases and solar power facilities (hereinafter “the plan”). The permission
according to the Natural Parks Law was issued around early 2024. However, the fact is that
the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) excludes mobile phones
as a means of emergency communication for ships, and there are alternatives such as satellitephones.
Of the four planned development sites, the most problematic one is the plan in the Cape
Shiretoko Lighthouse area.

The Nature Conservation Society of Japan
Mitoyo Bldg. 2F, 1-16-10 Shinkawa, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0033
Tel: +81 3 3553 4109 Fax: +81 3 3553 0139 Email: ohno@nacsj.or.jp

2Location: World Heritage Area A (previously called the Core Area), Special
Protection Zone under Natural Parks Law (the area that needs to be strictly protected) andForest Ecological Protection Area.
Plan: Construction of 264 solar panels and a solar power generation facility(including associated facilities such as storage batteries and other related facilities), a 2 km
underground power transmission cable, and an antenna on the wall of the Cape Shiretoko
Lighthouse. The total area of the construction site is 26,094 ㎡, including a land alteration
area of 3,970 ㎡.
Current status of the construction: Material delivery had started in May 2024, but
was temporarily suspended when researchers pointed out the presence of a white-tailed eagle
nesting site. The Ministry of the Environment conducted a breeding status survey on 23 May.
On 7 June, the Scientific Committee was informed the details of the project and a report fromthe survey that no breeding had been confirmed in relation to white-tailed sea eagles from theMOE, then discussed the impact on OUV. The Committee requested the Ministry of theEnvironment and the operator to suspend construction and study the impact on vegetationand breeding white-tailed sea eagles and also requested local stakeholder to reconsider theneed for the plan.
2. Concerns about potential impacts on Outstanding Universal Values
1) While there have been reports of sightings of behavior suggesting breeding this year, one
day of field observations is insufficient. The solar power generation facility is considered
to be in a high use area by breeding pairs, and there are concerns that construction work
may disturb foraging behavior. In addition, there is concern that the frequency of humanaccess for maintenance and management is expected to increase after construction, which
could have a negative impact on breeding and habitat conditions for white-tailed sea
eagles, and that nesting pairs may disappear from the area.
2) The main problem is that the operator did not conduct necessary interviews with experts
and survey about wildlife and habitat including the white-tailed sea eagle beforehand andthat the Ministry of the Environment granted the permission without a thorough andadequate environmental impact assessment.
3) As mentioned above, despite the area is designated as a special protected zone by theThe Nature Conservation Society of Japan
Mitoyo Bldg. 2F, 1-16-10 Shinkawa, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0033
Tel: +81 3 3553 4109 Fax: +81 3 3553 0139 Email: ohno@nacsj.or.jp

3

MOE and a forest ecosystem protection area by the Forestry Agency, land alterations
amounting to 3,970 ㎡ will be carried out. These permissions would be a worst case of
distorting the operation of the protected area system in the future.
4) The plan also has the risk of fire caused by the solar panels and fire spread due to theharsh weather conditions and poor accessibility of Cape Shiretoko, which would have asignificant impact on the OUV of Shiretoko World Heritage Site in the future.

Date 12 June 2024
The Nature Conservation Society of Japan
Chairman of the Board of Directors

Dr. Akira KAMEYAMAThe Nature Conservation Society of Hokkaido
Chairman

Dr. Kazunori ARITA

The Nature Conservation Society of Japan
Mitoyo Bldg. 2F, 1-16-10 Shinkawa, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0033
Tel: +81 3 3553 4109 Fax: +81 3 3553 0139 Email: ohno@nacsj.or.jp