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| Futenma Airbase, Okinawa (File Photo) |
TOKYO — Voters in Okinawa have thrown a spanner into Japan’s relations with the United States after electing a governor who wants the American military to downsize its presence at a time of alarm over China’s territorial ambitions.
Takeshi Onaga rode a wave of anti-US resentment to pummel two-term incumbent Hirokazu Nakaima in a weekend poll widely seen as a referendum on the deal he struck to move an American airbase from a crowded city center to a pristine bit of coast.
While most Japanese value the protection the US military alliance gives them, especially in the context of Beijing’s growing assertiveness in its numerous regional disputes, a sizable proportion of Okinawans want them to leave the island.
“I will firmly implement my campaign pledge of seeking to remove the Futenma airbase outside Okinawa and never allow a new base in Henoko,” Onaga said, referring to the agreed site of the proposed relocation.
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