Japan Press Weekly

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2012 October 31 - November 6 [OKINAWA]

Anti-US base candidate challenges incumbent mayor in Okinawa

The mayoral election campaign of Naha City, the prefectural capital of Okinawa, started on November 4. Japanese Communist Party Okinawa Prefectural Committee Acting Chair Murayama Jun, running for the mayoralty, held a kickoff rally of the election campaign in the city.

Murayama is backed by progressive political parties, including the JCP, the Social Democratic Party and the Political Local Party of Okinawa. The candidate will clash head-on with Onaga Takeshi, the incumbent mayor supported by the Democratic Party of Japan, the Liberal Democratic and Komei parties. The voting day is November 11.

Murayama made a speech at the rally in front of Naha City Kumoji elementary school. He said, “Let’s work together to change the city government into one that prioritizes people’s lives, welfare services and education under the slogan, ‘Citizens are the key players’.” Murayama has pledged to stop the close-and-merge plan for municipal primary schools, including Kumoji elementary school, to reduce the national health insurance tax and the long-term care insurance premium, and to solve the problem of too many children on a waiting list for a daycare center through increasing the number of public nursery schools.

The candidate also stated, “I’m determined to take the lead in struggling for the abrogation of the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty and for the total removal of U.S. bases. Let’s give a strong voter verdict to the misgovernment by the coalition of the DPJ, LDP and Komei.”

JCP Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi pointed out in his support speech that the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty lies at the root of a series of U.S. servicemen’s crimes as well as the forcible deployment of U.S. Ospreys to Okinawa. He called on the audience, “Murayama’s victory will lead to realizing a peaceful Okinawa without U.S. bases.”

A mother with two little children said, “The close-and-merge plan of public elementary schools is an issue affecting the whole city. I want medical charges at hospitals for children to be abolished. I’m sure Murayama will work to protect our children.”

Political Local Party of Okinawa Chair Itokazu Keiko sent her message of support to Murayama.