Japan Press Weekly

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2014 August 27 - September 2 [POLITICS]

Abe gov’t committing political suicide by forcibly building new US military base

Akahata editorial (excerpts)

Japan’s government led by Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has forcibly been conducting boring explorations in the Henoko coastal area of Okinawa’s Nago City to build replacement facilities for the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Ginowan City. As the government blatantly attempts to create a fait accompli for the base construction ahead of the Okinawa gubernatorial election slated for November, it is fueling Okinawans’ anger.

A protest rally held on August 23 in front of the gate of U.S. Camp Schwab was attended by more than 3,600 people, which was far larger than the rally organizers’ expectations. That day, many local residents were reportedly unable to get on overcrowded buses headed for the venue.

According to an opinion poll of Okinawans which the Ryukyu Shimpo and Okinawa Television jointly conducted on August 23 and 24, 80.2% of the respondents said that the Japanese government should put a stop to the construction work in Henoko. The Abe administration’s disapproval rating has reached 81.5%. The percentage of those opposing the government plan to relocate the Futenma base within Okinawa has increased to 79.7%, surpassing the 73.6% high reached in April.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide insisted at a press conference on August 26 that Okinawans’ opposition will have “no influence” on the construction project. “As the Okinawa governor approved of reclaiming the waters for the base construction at the end of last year, we will simply go ahead with the project,” he said.

Meanwhile, a recent report released by the U.S. Congressional Research Service (CRS) points out that high-handed actions by Tokyo and Washington may put a rival candidate objecting to the construction into a favorable position in the upcoming gubernatorial election.

If the Abe administration continues to proceed with the work in defiance of overwhelming public opposition, it will lead to digging its own grave.

Past related article:
> Okinawans rally to demand stop to US base construction at Henoko [August 24, 2014]