By J.T. Quigley
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made the Okinawa governor an offer he couldn’t refuse.
Despite years of protest and stalled negotiations, Okinawa Governor Hirokazu Nakaima approved the relocation of the U.S. military’s fiercely debated Futenma Air Station on Friday morning. The decision comes after years of Okinawan opposition to the Marine Corps’ base and the 26,000 troops stationed there. Promises of a generous stimulus package from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe likely sealed the deal.
“You presented surprisingly impressive proposals,” the governor told Abe during a Christmas Day meeting that paved the way for the agreement. “I express my heartfelt appreciation as the representative of Okinawa’s 1.4 million people.”
Abe’s special arrangement was a lucrative one: an annual $2.9 billion for Okinawa’s economic stimulus budget until 2021 and the guarantee that operations at Futenma would cease within five years. He also promised an early return of the land that Futenma currently occupies.
Nakaima signed off on landfill work that will allow a replacement base to be constructed off the shore of Nago – a less densely populated area than Ginowan, Futenma’s current location. The base, which was initially slated to shut down after a 1996 joint agreement between the U.S. military and its host, has become increasingly unpopular with nearby residents.
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