August 18, 2015
Representatives of civic groups in areas near the Henoko coastal district in Okinawa’s Nago City, where the Japanese government is planning to build a new U.S. military base, visited the prefectural office on August 17 to request the governor to revoke the approval for landfill work for the base construction.
Okinawa Governor Onaga Takeshi has been talking with the central government about the construction issue. The Abe administration announced in early August that it will suspend the landfill work for one month and enter into negotiations with prefectural authorities.
Leaders of the groups in 12 wards adjacent to Henoko handed a written request to officials at the governor’s office and the division in charge of the construction issue. The document states that if the negotiations break down, the governor should cancel the landfill permission without delay.
At a news conference following the petition, Matsuda Fujiko, one of the group representatives, said, “As the third-party committee issued a report that Onaga’s predecessor illegally allowed the national government to begin the landfill, we decided to make a request again to the governor. We hope Onaga will carry out his promise to block the base construction. The purpose of our petition is to support him.”
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Defense Minister Nakatani Gen visited Okinawa on August 16 to meet with Governor Onaga.
The minister again insisted that a new base in Henoko is vital to maintain the operational integrity of the U.S. Marine Corps in Japan.
The governor refuted the minister’s argument, pointing to the fact that the U.S. Marines are also stationed at the Sasebo Naval Base (Nagasaki Pref.) and the Iwakuni Air Station (Yamaguchi Pref.).
Past related article:
> Okinawans granted one-month suspension of Henoko construction work [August 5, 2015]
Okinawa Governor Onaga Takeshi has been talking with the central government about the construction issue. The Abe administration announced in early August that it will suspend the landfill work for one month and enter into negotiations with prefectural authorities.
Leaders of the groups in 12 wards adjacent to Henoko handed a written request to officials at the governor’s office and the division in charge of the construction issue. The document states that if the negotiations break down, the governor should cancel the landfill permission without delay.
At a news conference following the petition, Matsuda Fujiko, one of the group representatives, said, “As the third-party committee issued a report that Onaga’s predecessor illegally allowed the national government to begin the landfill, we decided to make a request again to the governor. We hope Onaga will carry out his promise to block the base construction. The purpose of our petition is to support him.”
*****
Defense Minister Nakatani Gen visited Okinawa on August 16 to meet with Governor Onaga.
The minister again insisted that a new base in Henoko is vital to maintain the operational integrity of the U.S. Marine Corps in Japan.
The governor refuted the minister’s argument, pointing to the fact that the U.S. Marines are also stationed at the Sasebo Naval Base (Nagasaki Pref.) and the Iwakuni Air Station (Yamaguchi Pref.).
Past related article:
> Okinawans granted one-month suspension of Henoko construction work [August 5, 2015]
