Japan Press Weekly

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2018 September 19 - 25 [POLITICS]

Ordinance bill for referendum over Henoko base project submitted to Okinawa prefectural assembly

The Okinawa Prefectural government on September 20 submitted to the prefectural assembly an ordinance bill to hold a prefectural referendum over the construction of a U.S. base in Henoko. It also proposed a draft supplementary budget which includes the referendum cost.

On the day, an extraordinary session of the assembly was convened. At the plenary meeting, Vice Governor Tomikawa Moritake explained the reason for presenting the ordinance bill and reported that the number of signatures calling for a referendum ordinance reached 93,000, exceeding the minimum number of signatures required by law (23,000) to demand the creation of an ordinance.

Called to the assembly, the head of a civil group seeking the creation of a Henoko public referendum ordinance, Motoyama Jinshiro, gave a statement regarding the need to hold a public vote. Motoyama said that a Henoko referendum is important for the future of a democratic society and Okinawa.

At the beginning of the plenary meeting, a minute of silence was observed in remembrance of the late Governor Onaga Takeshi who died on August 8 of cancer. Before his death, he expressed his support for holding a referendum by saying that it is “meaningful”.

The assembly will reportedly begin discussing the ordinance bill after the September 30 gubernatorial election. If the bill is enacted, it will require the prefectural government to conduct a referendum within six months from its promulgation.

Past related article:
> Okinawans petition prefectural gov’t to hold referendum on US base construction in Henoko [September 6, 2018]