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2015 November 18 - 24 TOP3 [POLITICS]

Okinawans’ sit-in protest against US base construction marks 500th day

Akahata ‘current’ column

It has been 500 days since Okinawans started sit-ins in front of the gate of U.S. Camp Schwab in Nago’s Henoko district in protest against the construction of a new U.S. military base. On November 18, on the 500th day of continuous sit-in protest, more than 1,000 people gathered at the site from early morning.

The Abe government filed a lawsuit against Okinawa Governor Onaga Takeshi because he revoked his predecessor’s approval for reclamation work for the base construction. The central government is trying to push ahead with the construction project by overriding the governor’s authority, showing its stance to prevent local governments from interfering with the Japan-U.S. military alliance. Governor Onaga referred to the Abe administration’s high-handed attitude as a clear manifestation of their discrimination against Okinawa.

Washington quickly expressed its gratitude to Tokyo for suing the governor. The Pentagon’s chief spokesperson said at a news conference, “With the help of the government of Japan, this project will be able to move forward. We thank the government of Japan for its efforts in this regard.” While playing up to Washington, the Abe administration is taking no notice of the demands of Japanese people. For what purpose and for whom are they governing this country?

Okinawa Prefecture, which makes up only 0.6% of Japan’s total land area, is forced to host over 70% of all U.S. military facilities in Japan. Without making any efforts to correct such an abnormal situation, the Abe government is working to build a state-of-the-art base in Henoko by repeatedly claiming that this is “the only option”. The governor’s statement represents Okinawans’ heartfelt outcry: “The central government act reminds us of the U.S. occupation forces who had seized land from Okinawan people using ‘bayonets and bulldozers’.”

A large signboard put up at the sit-in site shows the number of days of their protest action with the word “TENACITY”.