'We need no new U.S. base': Nago City Assembly committee

Soon after the government and local municipalities agreed on July 29 on the basic plan to construct a state-of-the-art U.S. military base in Nago City in Okinawa, the Nago City Assembly's special committee called on its plenary session to resolve its opposition to the plan.

On the basic plan proposed as a relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Ginowan City to the sea off Henoko area, most members raised opposition to the plan at the committee meeting on U.S. military bases held on August 1, saying as follows:

No details on the basic plan have been provided to the city assembly before the July 29 settlement; Nago citizens, especially people of Henoko, are opposed to reclaiming the coral reef off Henoko; the final plan was completely different from original drafts which the Henoko district administrative committee discussed; such a basic plan can hardly be accepted.

The committee requested Nago Mayor Kishimoto Tateo, who accepted the basic plan at the July 29 meeting, to immediately call an extraordinary plenary session to discuss the matter.

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At the House of Representatives committee meeting on July 23, Japanese Communist Party Dietmember Akamine Seiken declared his firm opposition to the new base plan at Nago. He also proposed that the government designate a sanctuary for conserving dugongs in the sea off the Henoko, district of Nago City.

The Environment Ministry, which gave a negative response to Akamine's proposal, drew severe criticism from the JCP lawmaker. (end)