 Anti-new U.S. base plaintiffs argue case in court The first court hearing in the lawsuit filed to stop the construction of a new U.S. base in the Henoko district of Nago City was held at the Naha District Court in Okinawa on March 1. The plaintiffs are 68 residents seeking an injunction banning the government from continuing the drilling survey which was begun in preparation for the construction of the new base as an alternative site for the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Ginowan City. On behalf of the plaintiffs, Toguchi Yutoku, a former Nago mayor who is leading the plaintiffs, stated, "The number of residents opposed to the new base construction is always larger than those in favor. A military base does not fit in with the sea of bumper harvest." Yamauchi Tokushin, co-representative of the Okinawa Prefectural Council against Relocation of U.S. Bases within Okinawa, stressed how absurd it is for Okinawans to be forced to host 75 percent of U.S. military facilities in Japan. The plaintiffs lawyers insisted that the drilling survey violates the constitutional right to protect the environment and to live in peace as well as infringing on personal rights. They also stated that it is also in violation of fishermen's right to fish and plaintiffs' freedom to choose their occupation because some of them are employed in the ecotourism industry. The government's lawyers demanded that the plaintiffs' request for an injunction be turned down on the grounds that "the rights the plaintiffs claim are unclear." This is the first lawsuit to be filed by citizens demanding that a U.S. base construction be canceled. (end) |