Unknowingly Building an Incinerator: Resident Issues in Izumi City

Even city councilors didn’t know

How would you feel if, in the town where you live, a large-scale industrial waste incinerator project was advancing without most of the citizens knowing about it? This is the situation faced by the residents of Izumi City, located in the southern part of Osaka.

A local media professional explains:

“A large-scale industrial waste incinerator is being planned for completion next year. Osaka Prefecture, which holds the permit authority, has already progressed with the environmental assessment and is in its final evaluation stage. The planned construction site is near residential areas, and experts suggest that pollution, including dioxins, could affect some parts of the neighboring city of Kishiwada.

The problem is that most citizens are unaware of this situation. Not only the citizens but also the city councilors have not widely recognized the project, leading to doubts being raised about the city’s public relations efforts. Concerned about environmental damage, a number of residents have begun to organize into a citizen movement.”

Southern Osaka is an area known for its thriving agriculture, and a significant portion of the citizens are farmers. Farmers from Izumi and Kishiwada cities have been at the forefront of protests against the city and the development companies. FRIDAY Digital managed to contact one of the activists involved in this movement. Kaho Yoshioka (a pseudonym), who has been involved in this activity for over a year and lives in Kishiwada, expresses her frustration:

“In October 2023, I participated in a petition against the construction of a waste incinerator in the neighboring town of Tadaoka. I became suspicious when the mayor, who was elected on a platform of opposing waste incinerators, reversed his position. There was a town council member who passionately pursued this issue, and thanks to them, I learned about the potential environmental pollution from dioxins and the possible damage to crops.

It was during this process that I learned about the construction plan in Izumi City. My home is located in an area that will be directly impacted by this, and it became clear that even popular new residential areas would be affected. Within a 3-km radius of the planned site, there are large commercial facilities, retail stores, and road stations. I feel a strong sense of urgency that most of the citizens are unaware of this reality.”