Prefecture assembly resolution against new U.S. base rightly represents Okinawans’ will

Japan Press Weekly

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Prefecture assembly resolution against new U.S. base rightly represents Okinawans’ will

Akahata editorial

The Okinawa Prefectural Assembly on July 18 adopted a resolution urging the prime minister, foreign minister and defense minister to scrap the plan to construct a new U.S. military base in Okinawa and a similar resolution addressed to the U.S. ambassador to Japan and the Okinawa prefecture governor. Twenty-five members voted in favor and 21 against.

This is the first resolution to be adopted by the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly in opposition to the Japan-U.S. plan to construct a new U.S. military base.

This landmark action was made possible by the new balance of political forces in the Prefectural legislature, in which opposition parties became the majority after the prefectural assembly election. The Japanese Communist Party in the election won five seats. It certainly is a heavy blow to the government, in particular the Defense Ministry, which are trying to impose the “decision” on the prefecture, in defiance of opposition expressed by 70 percent of the Okinawan population.

Increasing burdens of U.S. base

The Japanese and U.S. governments are planning to construct a new military base in Nago City, where the United States already maintains Camp Schwab. The planned new base features the ongoing realignment and strengthening of U.S. bases in preparation for U.S. preemptive wars.

Even the government has admitted that the new base will be another source of sonic booms, plane crashes, and crimes committed by U.S. military personnel. For example, sonic booms cannot be avoided. Initially, the government said U.S. aircraft would not fly over the area. However, Defense Minister Ishiba Shigeru said, “They may fly over the area depending on the type of training exercise” (December 12, 2007 at a conference attended by the government and local representatives”. This clearly shows that the government is lying when it says that the U.S. military realignment is aimed at reducing the Okinawans’ burdens of U.S. military bases.

The Oura Bay will be reclaimed for the construction of the new base. It needs the dumping of enormous amounts of earth and sand in the bay only to contaminate seawater and destroy the fishery resources and the algae, which is the essential feed for the rare dugong mammal. We cannot accept the government explanation that it will care for the living conditions and the environment of the residents.

As stated by the assembly resolution, Okinawans are opposed to the new base construction because it will force them to shoulder excessively heavy burdens on residents and make the U.S. military bases in Okinawa perpetual. In the December 1997 local referendum on the construction plan, a majority of Nago voters said “No” to it. In most opinion surveys, about 70 percent of the respondents have expressed firm opposition to the plan.

No one can deny that the government is to blame for pushing ahead with the construction plan by using tax money allocated for local “economic development” as bait in defiance of strong opposition expressed by Okinawans.

The Okinawa Prefectural Assembly’s balance of forces reversed after the election. Clearly, many Okinawans voted for the opposition parties to foil the government’s outrageous plan to construct the new base as well as to express their growing anger at the introduction of the new medical care system that forces the elderly aged 75 or over to pay more for medical services.

The assembly resolution that “the new base plan must be canceled immediately” is in line with the will of Okinawans. This is why Okinawans have welcomed the resolution as a matter of course.

The government and the Ministry of Defense must no longer ignore the will of the prefectural people and assembly. They must respect the assembly resolution and stop pushing ahead with the construction of the new U.S. base.

Okinawa Governor Nakaima Hirokazu will be in the hot seat since he has said that the base construction could be accepted if the base site is moved farther from the coast. This goes against the assembly resolution. His policy should reflect the will of the prefectural people instead of the Japanese and U.S. governments.

U.S. military bases must be withdrawn

The land area, which U.S. forces use for their bases, accounts for more than 10 percent of the whole land area of Okinawa Prefecture. The construction of the new air base will mean perpetuating their extraordinary presence in Okinawa. In no way do they have a right to force Okinawans to endure the heavy burden of military bases!

The call for all U.S. bases to be withdrawn is shared by most Okinawans. It is important to continue to demand the unconditional shutdown of the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station, the root cause of Ginowan citizens’ suffering. The task is for us to continue to call for the removal of all U.S. military bases from Okinawa. - Akahata, July 19, 2008