Japan Press Weekly

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2012 October 3 - 9 [OKINAWA]

Okinawans intensify protest against Osprey deployment

Following the forcible deployment of MV-22 Ospreys by the U.S. forces to the Futenma base in Okinawa on October 1, protest actions are rapidly increasing throughout the prefecture.

In front of Gate 3 of the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Okinawa’s Ginowan City, a protest action has continuously taken place for almost one week since the end of September.

On October 2, about 300 people, including lawmakers at the municipal, prefectural, and national levels, local government heads, and citizens, held a rally in front of the gate.

Citing the fact that the Japan-U.S. agreement banning the aircraft from flying over residential areas in helicopter mode was broken soon after the deployment, Chatan Town Mayor Noguni Masaharu said, “The U.S. military seems to consider urban areas in Okinawa as something like deserts or jungles. No Okinawan believes the Japanese government’s ‘Osprey safety declaration.’”

The prefectural government announced on the same day that when the aircraft arrived at the Futenma base from the Iwakuni base (Yamaguchi Pref.) on the previous day, the noise measured at a nearby residential area reached 89.2 decibels, equivalent to the noise level in an extremely noisy factory.

The organizing committee of the massive September 9 rally, in which 100,000 Okinawans took part, proposed to hold protest rallies in all 41 municipalities across the prefecture.

On October 3 in Nago City, more than 1,000 people wearing or holding something red as a symbol of the protest participated in a rally. Many signs showing opposition to the deployment were strategically placed in the city office courtyard, the rally venue.

City Mayor Inamine Susumu said, “It is necessary to demonstrate a wave of popular protest in all districts, villages, towns, and cities within Okinawa. Ospreys should be removed from the prefecture without delay.”

On the next day, another protest rally was held at Yaese Town which does not host a U.S. military base. About 300 participants confirmed their resolve to strengthen their struggle for an immediate withdrawal of Ospreys from Okinawa.

At the rally, Kinjo Takao, superintendent of the town’s board of education, said, “The U.S. government sees Okinawa as its colony. It is unforgivable that the Japanese government ignores our urgent demands. For our children’s future, let’s increase our voices of protest from Yaese.”

On October 7, the U.S. Marine Corps completed the transfer of all 12 vertical takeoff and landing aircraft Osprey to the Futenma base from the Iwakuni base where the aircraft were temporally based.