Japan Press Weekly

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2016 March 2 - 8 TOP3 [POLITICS]

Okinawa and Tokyo accept court-proposed-settlement in lawsuit over Henoko base

In a lawsuit filed against Okinawa to withdraw its cancellation of the landfill approval for the U.S. base construction in the Henoko district in Nago City, the Abe government on March 4 accepted a court-proposed-settlement and decided to suspend the ongoing construction project.

Prime Minister Abe Shinzo on this day ordered Defense Minister Nakatani Gen to halt the construction work, and Okinawa Governor Onaga Takeshi expressed his intent to then drop two lawsuits against the state.

Tokyo and Okinawa will conduct negotiations in accordance with the settlement conditions proposed by the Fukuoka High Court Naha Branch. If the negotiations fail, the two sides will probably resume legal proceedings in court. The suspension of the construction work will be maintained until the court battle ends.

While agreeing to the court proposal to put a halt to the construction project, PM Abe reaffirmed, “The relocation to Henoko is the only option (for the Futenma base issue),” displaying his resolve to remain committed to the base construction plan. In addition, Abe Cabinet spokesperson Suga Yoshihide hinted at the possibility of a delay in the return of the Futenma base. This means that the government admitted that the Futenma base will be used permanently unless it is transferred to Henoko.

Okinawa Governor Onaga who was visiting Tokyo said to the press that with his firm conviction, he will continue working hard to block the new base construction in Henoko.

After meeting with Defense Minister Nakatani at the ministry office building, Onaga commented on the start of negotiations, and said, “I’m always ready for that. I want to find the way to squash the Henoko base project in the talks.” Criticizing PM Abe’s stance to stick to the project, the governor said, “It is very disappointing.”

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Representatives Akamine Seiken commented on the settlement: “The Abe government’s act of suing Governor Onaga for his revocation of the landfill permission had provoked fierce protest not only by Okinawans but also by residents in other prefectures as well as a number of administrative law experts. Strong public opposition to the government’s highhanded manner in handling the Henoko base issue has forced the Abe Cabinet to suspend the construction work. Responding to Okianwans’ demand, the government should now give up pushing forward with the new base construction and should decide to close the Futenma base,” Akamine said.

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Protesters in front of U.S. Camp Schwab in Henoko responded with cheers the moment they heard the breaking news.

Their leader, Yamashiro Hiroji commented, “We’d like to thank all the people in Okinawa and throughout Japan who have kept supporting us. We’ll continue to fight until we achieve the cancellation of the construction plan.”

Yamaguchi Yoko, a sit-in activist in the “tent village” at Henoko beach, said, “I still cannot feel happy because this is only a compromise settlement and not the withdrawal of the construction plan. I will never give up until the central government abandons the new base plan.”

Kitaueda Tsuyoshi, a captain of a protest boat, said, “I think Abe has accepted the agreement only to refine his tactics because he now understands the difficulty of going ahead with the construction work at this point. What has driven him into this situation is the Okinawans’ determined struggle.”

Urashima Etsuko, a plaintiff in a residents’ lawsuit against the Henoko base, said, “The efforts made by Governor Onaga, Nago City Mayor Inamine Susumu, and citizens bore fruit. But, we, citizens, will continue with our monitoring activities until the total withdrawal of the plan.”

Past related articles:
> Okinawa Pref. files lawsuit against central gov’t over Henoko base issue [December 26, 2015]
> Central gov’t sues Okinawa governor for resisting US base construction in Henoko [November 18, 2015]
> Okinawa Governor cancels landfill approval for US base construction in Henoko [October 14, 2015]