Japan Press Weekly

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2024 January 10 - 16 [POLITICS]

Tokyo forcibly begins soft-ground improvement work for US base construction in Okinawa

The Kishida government on January 10, in defiance of Okinawans’ opposition, forcibly began soft-ground improvement work as part of the reclamation project off Nago’s Henoko for the construction of a new U.S. base.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Masayoshi at a press conference on the day said that the Henoko base construction is scheduled to take nine years and three months to complete. However, given the fact that the seafloor at 90 meters below the water surface in several locations are soft as “mayonnaise”, the construction period is certain to be even longer than scheduled.

Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira issued a comment in protest against the forcible start of the ground reinforcement work.

Koike pointed out that the Kishida government, in response to the Okinawa governor’s refusal to give permission to the construction design change for ground improvement work, bulldozed through the improvement work project with the use of administrative subrogation. Koike criticized the central government for trampling on democracy and local autonomy with an iron fist.

Koike said that Tokyo should stop the Henoko project without delay and work to realize an unconditional return of the U.S. Futenma base.

Past related article:
> Supreme Court virtually okays soft-ground improvement work for new US base in Okinawa [September 5, 2023]