Japan Press Weekly

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2020 September 9 - 15 [US FORCES]

JCP in Okinawa's Urasoe City presses mayor to say 'No' to new US military port

The Japanese Communist Party members of the Urasoe City Assembly in Okinawa on September 8 remonstrated with the city mayor who announced the acceptance of a plan to construct a new military port at Urasoe Wharf as a replacement for the U.S. Naha Military Port in Naha City.

Accompanied by Nishime Sumie, a JCP member of the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly elected from the Urasoe constituency, the JCP assemblypersons' group pressed Mayor Matsumoto Tetsuji to oppose the relocation of the Naha Military Port and demand the unconditional return of the port to Japan.

The mayor won in the 2013 mayoral election by promising to maintain his stance against the relocation of the Naha Military Port to Urasoe. Later, however, he retracted this public pledge.

The JCP assemblypersons' group criticized the mayor for placing himself at the feet of the central government and the U.S. military.

Mayor Matsumoto in response said, "I made an agonizing decision." JCP Nishime told the mayor that more than 70% of Urasoe citizens in a survey conducted by the JCP this year expressed their opposition to the construction of a military port in Urasoe, adding, "To run city government on the behalf of citizens is what a municipal head must do."

Past related articles:
> Urasoe mayor retracts pledge to oppose US military port construction [October 23, 2013]
> JCP scores one-two finish in Urasoe City assembly election [February 13, 2013]