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Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Five Hiroshima Prefecture mayors oppose relocating US carrier aviation unit to Iwakuni

Mayors of three cities and two towns in western Hiroshima Prefecture met on July 21 and agreed to jointly oppose the planned relocation of the Atsugi-based U.S. aircraft carrier aviation units in Kanagawa Prefecture to the U.S. Marine Corps Iwakuni Air Station in Yamaguchi Prefecture that will carry out night landing practices in Western Japan, including Hiroshima.

The five local administrations are the cities of Hatsukaichi, Otake, and Etajima, plus the towns of Ono and Miyajima in Hiroshima.

Meeting in Hiroshima City, Mayor Yamashita Saburo (Hatsukaichi), Ihara Katsusuke (Iwakuni), and others agreed to carry out joint struggles by local administrations surrounding Hiroshima Bay, in which Miyajima, a World Cultural Heritage site, is situated.

They also agreed to promote coordination between Hiroshima and Yamaguchi prefectures, lobby the central government and lawmakers representing Yamaguchi, and call on the Hiroshima Prefectural Assembly to adopt a resolution against the U.S. unit's relocation plan.

Iwakuni mayor Ihara stated, "Although we've received no word from the government, Iwakuni City's basic position is that it does not want the U.S. Iwakuni base's operational capabilities increased. Relocating an aviation unit and NLPs to Iwakuni will drastically increase the operations of U.S. forces.

Miyajima Town Mayor Sasaki Yuzo said, "Itsukushima Shrine was established 1,400 years ago. Together with Matsushima in Miyagi, and Amano-hashidate in Kyoto, Miyajima is one of Japan's three most famous sites. Mt. Misen has a rich primary forest with its habitat of monkeys. None of us want to see U.S. warplanes fly over the historical site. The council of local governments with these three most famous sites will take up this issue vigorously."

Kasai Hisao, Ono Town mayor, emphasized that the five local administrations are united in opposition to the relocation plan as they had done in opposition to a proposal to accept the NLP site at Okuro-kamijima Island.

The U.S. forces' plan to relocate some of their Atsugi-based units surfaced as part of the U.S. forces realignment policy. In a rapid move specifically since June, the five local bodies, both mayors and assemblies, expressed their opposition. They established a liaison organization, chaired by Futsuka-ichi mayor Yamashita, on July 19. -- Akahata, July 22, 2005