Japan Press Weekly

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2011 June 22 - 28 [OKINAWA]

Okinawans indignant at Henoko relocation on war-memorial day

Speakers at the ceremony protested against the Japan-U.S. agreement concluded two days before to build a new U.S. base in Henoko to replace the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Ginowan City.

Prefectural Assembly Chair Takamine Zenshin stressed in his speech, “We call on the Japanese and U.S. governments to swiftly close and return the Futenma base, reduce base burdens on Okinawans, and eradicate the dangerous risks.”

Okinawa War-Bereaved Family United Association head Nakasone Yoshihisa, although urging Prime Minister Kan Naoto to visit the Yasukuni Shrine that enshrines war criminals, described the new base construction plan as “unacceptable.”

Prime Minister Kan, without mentioning the Futenma issue, stated that he will make “a sincere effort to ease the burden of bases and remove the dangerous risks in Okinawa”.

A sixty-three-year-old man attending the ceremony said, “What the prime minister said here and what he is actually doing are completely different. I supported his party before, but the DPJ government in the last year has turned out to be the same as the former LDP-Komei government, or even worse.”