 |
| US Marine Air-Station Futenma, the base to be moved |
By Mina Pollmann
Trouble in Okinawa could have serious repercussions for the Japan-U.S. alliance.
In Okinawa, where the central government is trying to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station to the Henoko district in Nago, there is brewing discontent that could sour U.S.-Japan relations if not handled carefully. Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga won the gubernatorial election last December on a strongly anti-relocation platform. Many Okinawans do not want the relocation within Okinawa, because they believe that the burden of hosting U.S. forces should be spread more evenly within Japan – or that it should at least be reduced in Okinawa. There has been a lot of pressure on Onaga by his supporters to take concrete steps to stop the relocation project.
Last Monday, Onaga instructed the Defense Ministry to suspend underwater work after discovering coral reefs damaged by concrete blocks used to conduct boring surveys. He threatened to rescind the prefectural government’s approval if work did not stop within a week. Okinawa and the central government hold different views on whether the prefectural government’s permission was required or not to place the concrete blocks where they were, and whether the previous governor’s approval was legitimate or not. Last Tuesday, the Defense Ministry continued their work on underwater surveys despite Onaga’s instructions. The Defense Ministry has also asked for the fisheries minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi, to make a decision on the validity of Onaga’s directive.
Read the full story at The Diplomat