Japan Press Weekly

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2019 February 20 - 26 TOP3 [POLITICS]

Backed by referendum results, Okinawa will push Tokyo to give up on Henoko base project

Okinawa Governor Tamaki Denny on February 25 held a press conference regarding the results of the prefectural referendum over the Henoko landfill work for the construction of a new U.S. base.

In the referendum, voters expressed their opinion by choosing one of three options: Support, Oppose, and Neither. The results showed that 434,300 voters (71.7% of the total vote cast) opposed the Henoko base project, while 115,000 (19%) supported and 53,000 (8.7%) said “Neither”.

Governor Tamaki pointed out that the number of voters who said “No” in the referendum surpassed the required quarter of the voting-eligible population of 1.15 million. He said, “In accordance with the prefectural ordinance on the referendum, I’ll respect the outcome and immediately communicate it to the prime minister of Japan and the president of the United States.”

Governor Tamaki stressed, “It is significant that Okinawans for the first time expressed their opinion on the single issue of the reclamation work in the Henoko district.” He added that he will strongly urge the Japanese government to suspend the Henoko base project without delay and to negotiate with the prefecture on the early closure and return of the U.S. Futenma base and other base-related issues.

Past related articles:
> Okinawa-wide referendum officially announced [February 15, 2019]
> Revised ordinance will open door to ‘prefecture-wide’ referendum over Henoko base project [January 30, 2019]