Japan Press Weekly

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2012 February 1 - 7 [OKINAWA]

LDP defends Okinawa Defense Bureau director

During an intensive discussion concerning the Okinawa Defense Bureau director’s interference in the upcoming Ginowan City mayoral election, a Liberal Democratic Party representative made remarks in support of the director.

The discussion was held on February 3 in a House of Representatives Budget Committee meeting.

LDP lawmaker Nakatani Gen, who is a former Self-Defense Forces’ officer and served as the Defense Agency chief in the former Koizumi Cabinet, defended Okinawa Defense Bureau Director Manabe Ro, saying, “I feel sorry for him if he receives punishment due to his supposedly controversial behavior.”

Describing Manabe’s lecture on the Ginowan mayoral race as a general educational talk to encourage bureau staff to go to vote, Nakatani said, “What’s the problem with Manabe’s lecture? It is not unusual to call on eligible voters to not abstain from voting when an election is held.”

He argued that although the LDP-led government agreed with the U.S. government to relocate the Futenma base within Okinawa, former Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio of the Democratic Party of Japan caused confusion regarding the relocation by calling for the transfer of the base to outside Okinawa or outside Japan. “Defense bureau staff were very annoyed,” said Nakantani.

Meanwhile, Japanese Communist Party representative Akamine Seiken pointed out that the defense bureau chief gave the lecture in order to instruct bureau staff on the bureau’s stance to have the base relocated within the prefecture, and that such behavior violates the Public Servant Law requiring public servants to take an attitude of strict neutrality and fairness.

He added that Prime Minister Noda should take responsibility for the Okinawa Defense Bureau director’s interference in the election and call for an investigation into the matter.