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Iwakuni City to hold referendum on U.S. military realignment

Mayor Ihara Katsusuke of Iwakuni City that hosts the U.S. Marine Corps Iwakuni Air Station in Yamaguchi Prefecture on February 2 announced that the city will hold a referendum on the plan to relocate U.S. aircraft carrier-based fighter units from U.S. Atsugi Naval Air Station in Kanagawa Prefecture.

In the referendum he proposed, the first on the issue of U.S. military realignment in Japan, voters will choose "Yes" or "No" to the deployment plan on March 12.

Ihara stated, "I cannot but reject the deployment of the carrier fighter units to my city. For more than half a century, Iwakuni citizens have been heavily burdened by the U.S. base. Citizens must show their judgment of this plan through a referendum."

Yamanaka Ryoji, JCP Yamaguchi Prefecture Northern District Committee chair, stated that the JCP will do its utmost so that the referendum will result in an overwhelming victory for anti-relocation citizens.
-Akahata, February 3, 2006