Japan Press Weekly

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2017 February 22 - 28 [POLITICS]

Onaga protests to Kishida against Abe-Trump agreement that ‘Henoko is only solution’

Okinawa Governor Onaga Takeshi on February 26 in a meeting with Foreign Minister Kishida Fumio said that it was “quite regrettable” that the leaders of the Japanese and the U.S. governments confirmed that the Henoko relocation project is “the only solution”. This was the first meeting between Onaga and a Cabinet minister after the Abe-Trump summit in early February.

In the meeting at the Okinawa prefectural government office building, Onaga handed to the foreign minister a 12-point written request including the cancellation of deployment of U.S. Osprey military aircraft to Okinawa and of the plan to construct a “replacement” facility for the U.S. Futenma base in the Henoko coastal area.

The governor stressed that what the Abe government should do is to protect the lives and property of people living near the Futenma base which is located in the middle of densely-populated areas of Okinawa’s Ginowan City. He also said that the Abe government should work to realize the removal of the base without constructing the replacement base in Henoko.

In reply, Kishida merely said that the government will consider the request.