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2014 July 30 - August 12 TOP3 [POLITICS]

General contractor secretly wins tender for new US base construction in Okinawa

Akahata Sunday edition

As the majority of Okinawans are opposing the planned construction of a new U.S. military base in the Henoko district of Nago City, Japan’s Defense Ministry secretly decided on a contractor to do the preparatory works for the construction project, Akahata revealed recently.

According to that report, a person concerned with general contractors said to Akahata, “The Okinawa Defense Bureau put a contract for the preparatory works out to tender in June. I heard that Taisei Corporation, one of Japan’s largest construction companies, won the contract for more than five billion yen.”

Meanwhile, in order to conduct a sea-bottom boring exploration test for building the base, the defense authorities are trying to expel the local residents opposing the project from the site.

At first, Japan’s government planned to start the construction on a full scale next year. Considering the possibility that a candidate objecting to the construction may win the upcoming gubernatorial election in November, the administration changed course and decided to begin the work before the election. This is why the authorities hastily invited tenders for the project.

The defense bureau has yet to disclose information in regard to the bidding. The Law for Promoting Proper Tendering and Contracting requires authorities to make public any information regarding the bidding process for public works projects. It is quite likely that the bureau’s act of secrecy constitutes a violation of the law.

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Representatives Akamine Seiken said, “The Abe administration is aiming to create faits accomplis for the base construction regardless of the outcome of the gubernatorial election. No matter how dirty tricks the government may play, we will work to foil its scheme through united efforts with the general public.”

Past related article:
> Demolition work of old buildings in Henoko begins for new US base construction [July 2, 2014]