Japan Press Weekly

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2015 September 9 - 15 [POLITICS]

Yamashita: PM should accept Okinawa governor’s decision to revoke approval of landfill project at Henoko

Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Yamashita Yoshiki on September 14 at a press conference held in the Diet building expressed his support for Okinawa Governor Onaga Takeshi’s policy to revoke the approval of the reclamation project given by his predecessor to build a new U.S. base in Nago’s Henoko district. He added that the JCP will continue working hard in solidarity with the Okinawan people’s struggle against the base construction.

Yamashita criticized the Abe administration for pushing ahead with the base construction despite Okinawans’ anti-base verdict which was repeatedly indicated in national and local elections. He also pointed out that even in the intensive Okinawa-Tokyo negotiations held during the one-month suspension of the preparatory work for the new base construction, the Abe government showed its refusal to even consider the governor’s demand.

Protesting against the resumption of the work, Yamashita said, “The government must take seriously Onaga’s decision and give up on the base construction.”

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On the same day in Okinawa, Nago City Mayor Inamine Susumu told reporters that the decision Governor Onaga made is a natural conclusion due to his stance to stick to Okinawan peoples’ demands. Inamine then expressed his determination to do his utmost to support the governor.

Criticizing the central government’s intention to move forward with the Henoko base construction, Inamine said, “In a nation supposedly governed by law, it is unacceptable for the government to disregard the governor’s decision.”

The mayor also declared that he will block the base construction by using his positional authority in tandem with the governor’s exercise of his authority.

Past related article:
> Talks on US base construction in Okinawa break down [September 8, 2015]
> Okinawans granted one-month suspension of Henoko construction work [August 5, 2015]