Japan Press Weekly

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2014 September 17 - 23 TOP3 [POLITICS]

Henoko beach crowded with 5,500 opponents of US base construction

Protesting against the construction work for a new U.S. military base in Nago City’s Henoko district in Okinawa, around 5,500 citizens on September 20 held a rally at a Henoko beach.

Participants raised angry voices against Prime Minister Abe, who is pushing forward with the base construction in defiance of public opposition, and criticized Okinawa Governor Nakaima Hirokazu for approving reclamation work in Henoko in breach of his election promise four years ago. They expressed their determination to give a guilty verdict on the central and local governments in the gubernatorial election scheduled for November 16.

Naha City Mayor Onaga Takeshi, who plans to run in the election to block the construction plan, in his speech said, “Seeing this beautiful sea, I renewed my determination to protect this beach of Henoko from being reclaimed,” receiving a loud round of applause.

Nago City Mayor Inamine Susumu called on the audience to work to help Onaga win the election and let him lead the anti-base movement.

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Representatives Akamine Seiken also made a speech at the meeting.

A 75-year-old woman from Nago City said, “I was infuriated by the government’s move to carry out the construction work.” She was six years old at the end of WWII. She said, “During the war, it was the most vulnerable people who suffered the most. My parents used to say, ‘Lives are what matters. We don’t care about money,’ and they protested against wars and military bases for the rest of their lives. Building yet another U.S. base in Okinawa is unacceptable.”