July 4, 2011
Residents of the Takae district of Okinawa’s Higashi Village on July 3 held a rally to commemorate the 4th anniversary of their sit-in protest against the construction of U.S. military helipads.
About 500 people from across the country attended the rally.
The residents began the sit-in protest on July 2, 2007, when the Okinawa Defense Bureau forcibly started the construction, and have been calling on the government to sit with them at a negotiation table. Since then, the sit-in has taken place non-stop. The action is being carried out 24 hours a day because the bureau announced the resumption of the construction in July.
At the rally, representative of the Nago Council against the Construction of U.S. On-Sea Heliport Gushiken Toru (Japanese Communist Party member of the Nago City Assembly) and representatives from various organizations supporting the sit-in expressed their determination to “block the government plan to build new U.S. bases in Henoko and in Takae.”
A message from JCP House of Representatives member Akamine Seiken was read out. JCP lawmakers in Okinawa’s local assemblies, including the prefectural assembly, took part in the rally.
About 500 people from across the country attended the rally.
The residents began the sit-in protest on July 2, 2007, when the Okinawa Defense Bureau forcibly started the construction, and have been calling on the government to sit with them at a negotiation table. Since then, the sit-in has taken place non-stop. The action is being carried out 24 hours a day because the bureau announced the resumption of the construction in July.
At the rally, representative of the Nago Council against the Construction of U.S. On-Sea Heliport Gushiken Toru (Japanese Communist Party member of the Nago City Assembly) and representatives from various organizations supporting the sit-in expressed their determination to “block the government plan to build new U.S. bases in Henoko and in Takae.”
A message from JCP House of Representatives member Akamine Seiken was read out. JCP lawmakers in Okinawa’s local assemblies, including the prefectural assembly, took part in the rally.
