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Iwakuni citizens' historic choice

Iwakuni citizens in the referendum expressed their opposition to the relocation of the U.S. carrier-borne airwing to the U.S. Iwakuni Base. This is a memorable event in that the result represents hardships citizens have been forced to endure for 61 years in the name of "co-existence and co-prosperity with the U.S. base."

If the carrier-borne airwing unit consisting of 57 FA-18 Hornet and 1,600 soldiers are relocated from the U.S. Atsugi Naval Air Facility to an offshore runway after its completion, the Iwakuni Base will station more than a hundred fighters, almost double the 57 there now.

If the offshore runway is completed, the Iwakuni base will have two runways and become the world's largest military base. Residents of Iwakuni will be forced to endure not only noise pollution, but an increase in crimes and accidents.

The referendum cleared the requirement that voter turnout must be more than 50 percent of eligible voters. This shows that the citizens, including advocates of "coexistence" with the base for the sake of prosperity, at least wanted to have an opportunity to express their opinions of the military base and the city's future.

The Iwakuni Base was seized by the U.S. Marine Corps in 1945 when WWII ended. In 1946, the British Commonwealth Forces and the U.S. Air Force came there to be stationed. When the Korean War broke out in 1950, a runway was constructed and the base in 1958 became the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station. It has served as a stronghold for U.S. wars abroad, including the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and the Iraq War.

A Marine tossed an Iwakuni citizen from a bridge into the river, and another Marine stabbed to death a Japanese worker at the base. Crimes were committed frequently by Marines who returned from the battlefield. Accidents involving fighters also frequently occurred.

During the feudal Edo period, Iwakuni base site was a farm and residential land which had been reclaimed by drainage projects. During WWII, the Japanese Navy expropriated the land and turned it into a base to strengthen its aerial war capabilities. Iwakuni citizens were forced to cooperate with the national policy.

After WWII, the policy of "coexistence with the base for prosperity" was imposed on citizens with the idea that those who speak against the base are dissidents.

However, things turned out differently in the recent referendum. Since July 2004, there were reports about plans to relocate an aircraft carrier-borne airwing from Atsugi Base in Kanagawa Prefecture, causing much concern among Iwakuni citizens. The city assembly in June 2005 adopted a resolution opposing the relocation plan. Local governments and women's organizations collected signatures opposing the plan, and opposition against relocating the airwing increased.

In spite of these developments. the Japanese and U.S. governments in October 2005 agreed on the relocation plan. Defense Agency Director General Nukaga Fukushiro and Chief Cabinet Secretary Abe Shinzo applied pressure saying that the U.S. military realignment should be carried out regardless of the result of the referendum.

In the recent plebiscite, Iwakuni citizens for the first time objected to the national policy. The Japanese government must take seriously the citizens' voices as expressed in the referendum.
- Akahata, March 13, 2006