On August 6th, an opening ceremony was held at the Iki Ashibe Inclined Shaft site to mark the completion of the access road for construction vehicles and other vehicles preparing for the construction of the shaft entrance. Construction work on the access road took place twice, in September last year and April this year (as previously reported), and this was a celebratory event marking the completion of the road's construction. With the access road now in operation, construction work on the shaft entrance will finally begin.
In the scorching heat of over 35 degrees Celsius, the opening ceremony for the access road was held at the Ashibe/Umanose site at 7:30 in the morning.
With local people also rushing to celebrate, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held first, attended by the Foundation's Chairman, Hirofumi Sato, and the directors of the Karatsu and Tsushima branches, among other related parties. Afterwards, Iki Branch Director Seihachi Matsumura gave a progress report, saying, "Among the sites for the highway, this was the quickest to prepare. This site was finalized just one week after it emerged as a candidate, and the land is truly ready. A few days later, a major hotel in Tokyo approached us about purchasing it, and it feels like just yesterday that we were struck by the miraculous feeling of this miracle."
Chairman Sato also expressed his gratitude to Foundation Advisor Yoshitaka Mitsuno, who has contributed greatly to the construction of this access road, stating that the access road has been named "Mitsuno Road" and presented him with a letter of appreciation. Advisor Mitsuno encouraged the attendees, saying, "The Tokyo Olympics are two years away. After that, Japan's national projects will be the international highway and the Japan-Korea tunnel. There is a fishing port right next to this site, and it is also a promising marina. I am delighted that construction of the tunnel entrance will finally begin in this perfect location." The ceremony concluded with three cheers to pray for the safety of the upcoming construction.
[Photo] Ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening. Construction vehicles, including 10-ton trucks, will pass through here to begin construction of the tunnel entrance.
[Photo] With the planned mine entrance in the background, the access road was named "Hikarino Road" in honor of the man who made the greatest contribution.
