Japan Press Weekly

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2012 May 30 - June 5 [OKINAWA]

Okinawa election announced with removal of Futenma base as major issue

The election campaign officially began on June 1 in Okinawa where 63 candidates are contesting 48 prefectural assembly seats with the election to be held on June 10, expecting that the results will have a strong impact on the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty.

The Japanese Communist Party has put up 6 candidates in 5 voting districts, aiming for an increase by 1 from the present JCP strength of 5 in the Okinawa assembly.

All the JCP candidates in their kick-off speeches called on voters to work together with the JCP to stop the planned deployment of MV22 Osprey aircraft and to oppose the relocation of the U.S. Futenma base within Okinawa.

They stated that a JCP victory in the election will definitely help to have the demands of Okinawans heard, including the opposition to a higher consumption tax, in the National Diet.

Making the voters a promise to move the U.S. Futenma base out of Okinawa, the ruling Democratic Party of Japan generated a win in the general election 3 years ago. The party, however, later broke its word, resulting in a great disappointment to Okinawans. None of the DPJ candidates in their kick-off speeches this time touched on the issue of U.S. bases in Okinawa.

Candidates of both the Liberal Democratic and Komei parties also said almost nothing about the base issue. The LDP’s Okinawa chapter claims that it wants to move the Futenma base outside Okinawa, but is backed by the LDP headquarters which favors the base inside Okinawa.

The local daily paper Okinawa Times in an editorial on June 1 criticizes the LDP Okinawa for making an empty promise.