TMT opponents voice opposition outside of Japanese Consulate-General

HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - Opponents of the Thirty Meter Telescope took their message to the Japanese Consulate-General in Nuuanu Monday.

They hoped to discourage Japan from contributing to the project. They have been one of the countries backing the development of the telescope atop Mauna Kea.

Activists delivered a letter to staff at the facility. This comes two weeks after Governor Ige visited Japan, and reaffirmed the state’s commitment to finish the controversial project.

Japan has previously pledged about a quarter of all funding, and is producing the glass for the telescope’s mirrors.

Opponents say just because they aren’t blocking Mauna Kea right now in light of a truce from both sides, it doesn’t mean they won’t be back.

“The mayor has said many times that if anything were to happen that the mayor would be communicating before. So we don’t anticipate anything happening,” said TMT opponent Kahookahi Kanuha.

The Japanese project manager of TMT released a statement this evening saying that Hawaii remains the preferred site for the telescope.

"The Japanese government is still strongly committed to the TMT project in Hawaii, and its position is fully aligned with the TMT International Observatory group that Hawaii remains the preferred site for the TMT,” the statement said.

The truce between law enforcement and opponents ended Saturday, but TMT officials still have no timeline for construction.

Copyright 2020 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.