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2013 November 20 - 26 [OKINAWA]

Nago City approves mayor’s statement against Henoko reclamation for US base construction

The Nago City Assembly in Okinawa Prefecture on November 22 adopted with a majority vote a mayoral statement urging the Okinawa governor not to approve the national government’s plan to reclaim waters off Nago’s Henoko district in order to build a new U.S. base.

The statement, written by Mayor Inamine Susumu, points out that the reclamation project fails to show any safety measures in regard to the deployment of Osprey aircraft or effective steps to be taken to protect the natural environment in the sea area, such as the habitat for dugong, coral, and sea turtle.

It condemns the national government for inconsistently arguing that the relocation of the U.S. Futenma base from Okinawa’s Ginowan City to Henoko is the only solution, stressing that the plan would only relocate the base’s risks and negative effects to the Henoko district.

The mayor in the statement also criticizes the state for hiding the “inconvenient truth” in its process of compiling an environmental impact assessment report.

The statement is attached with 2,500 opinions the Nago City government collected from residents from August to October regarding the reclamation project. Among all the opinions it received, only a little more than a dozen expressed their support to the state project.

At a city assembly session on that day, Mayor Inamine, when proposing his statement, stated before residents filling the seating gallery, “With pride, we stand firm against the relocation of the Futenma air station to Henoko. This is Nago residents’ strong determination.”

Past related article:
> Gov’t submits request to reclaim sea area off Henoko [March 23, 2013]