Naha City Assembly calls for government help for Okinawa's tourism

Facing a serious decrease in the number of tourists visiting Okinawa in
the wake of the terrorist incident and the U.S.-led retaliatory war, the
Naha City Assembly on December 3 unanimously resolved to demand that the
central government take emergency measures to support tourism-related
businesses.

The city assembly pointed out that the number of visitors to the city
has fallen by 450,000 from last year, which means a 4.1 billion yen loss in
yearly income for the city's tourism businesses.

Such a serious damage has been chiefly caused by the fact that 75% of
U.S. military bases in Japan are concentrated on Okinawa, and this is why
the central government must take urgent steps to support the city's tourist
industry, the appeal says.

Toku Osamu, JCP, in the city assembly meeting spoke in support of the
appeal and petition, saying, "Now Okinawa needs to have many more visitors
so that many people from mainland Japan will learn about the political
reality of Okinawa and how the Okinawans are making efforts to maintain a
beautiful natural and peaceful environment. (end)