May 13, 2012
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2012 May 9 - 15 [OKINAWA]
71% of Okinawans cast stern eyes on Japan-US military ties |
Ahead of the 40th anniversary of Okinawa’s reversion to Japan, the Mainichi Shimbun and the Okinawan local paper Ryukyu Shimpo jointly conducted a survey on May 5 and 6 asking the residents of Okinawa what they think of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty which provides the basis for the U.S. military presence in Japan.
According to the survey, 55.4% of respondents said that the treaty should be changed into a peace friendship treaty and 15.5% said it should be abrogated, totaling 70.9%. In contrast, those who believe that the treaty should continue as it is accounted for 15.8%.
On the planned relocation of the U.S. Futenma base from Ginowan City to Henoko in Nago City, 21.4% said the government should not just relocate it but remove it, and 38.6% called for its relocation outside of Japan while only 11.2% said it should proceed as scheduled.
The survey also shows that 90.1% disagreed with the deployment of Osprey aircraft to the Futenma base.
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Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo commenting on the survey results stated, “The distance between the Japan-U.S. government stance and that of Okinawans has been shown to be beyond compromise.”
Shii during his speech made at an assembly of the National Association for a Peaceful, Democratic, and Progressive Japan (Kakushinkon) on May 12 said, “A growing number of Okinawans recognize that the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty to be the root cause of their hardships.”
Shii also referred to another opinion poll conducted by NHK regarding a security system for the future, showing that 67% of Japanese people seek a security policy through diplomacy with Asian nations, and that 80% want the government to deal with China through diplomatic means.
He added that the people are starting to search for alternatives to reliance on the Japan-U.S. alliance and the existing military-led deterrence.
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