January 24、2024

Peace organizations in Tokyo on January 23 took to the streets near Shinjuku Station, demanding that the government divert the huge budget for the construction of a new U.S. base in the Henoko district in Okinawa’s Nago City to relief operations to support victims of the Noto Peninsula earthquake and help in the recovery of the disaster-struck areas.

Taking part in this action, Japanese Communist Party member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Satoyoshi Yumi appealed to passersby for a policy shift in the present government to stop the ongoing soft-ground improvement work associated with the construction of a new U.S. base and to help the affected people and areas on the Noto Peninsula.

Higashimori Hideo, secretary general of the Central Action Committee against the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty (Anpo-Haki), criticized the Kishida government for ignoring the Okinawans’ demand and overstepping the Okinawan government autonomy in order to force through “substitute execution” work involving stabilization of the mayonnaise-like seafloor.

Representatives of the Japan Peace Committee, the Women’s Democratic Club, and the National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) also called for the cancellation of the Henoko base project as well as for support measures to rebuild the livelihood of the earthquake victims.

Past related articles:
> Tokyo forcibly begins soft-ground improvement work for US base construction in Okinawa [January 11, 2024]
> Shii calls for relief supplies to evacuees in parallel with rescue of human life [January 6, 8 & 9, 2024]