The injection of soil and sand for land reclamation is likely to mark a milestone that will advance the relocation plan for the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture. The government must create an environment to implement the plan smoothly.
The Defense Ministry will carry out the soil injection as early as Friday in the waters off the Henoko coastal area in Nago, to which the Futenma base will be relocated.
The government initially planned to inject soil and sand in August, but has postponed the work due to bad weather and in consideration for the prefecture's recent gubernatorial election. Despite intensive talks with the prefecture, which lasted for about one month, the central government could not obtain understanding for the landfill, leaving the talks stalemated.
Both Japan and the United States aim to return the Futenma base site to Japan as early as fiscal 2022. However, the relocation plan has been greatly delayed by the suspension of construction due to lawsuits and other factors.
The Futenma base, the stronghold of the U.S. Marine Corps in Japan, is located in a crowded area, and poses a risk of accidents involving nearby residents. The relocation of the base to the site off Henoko is the only specific option to reduce that risk while maintaining deterrent capabilities.
It is unavoidable that the government has decided to start the landfill work.
This soil injection is intended to reclaim more than six hectares of the sea area, which accounts for 4 percent of the total area planned for reclamation, by July 2020. The Defense Ministry intends to expand the area of operation gradually.
Reduce burden realistically
As Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya has said to reporters, "We will proceed with the work by giving maximum consideration to the natural environment and the daily lives of residents," utmost attention needs to be paid.
The Okinawa prefectural government claimed that the central government's act of destroying rock reefs off Henoko was illegal, but an appeals court ruling did not accept the prefecture's argument. The prefectural government is eyeing new lawsuits to block the reclamation work. It has to be said that continuing such a barren confrontation is unproductive.
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki has presented an estimate that construction for the relocation would take more than 10 years and would cost more than 2 trillion yen, which exceeds the central government's estimate. If the prefecture persists in its conflict with the central government and prolongs the construction, the budget will naturally increase.
Regarding a prefectural referendum in February next year as to whether the base should be relocated, the city assembly of Ginowan, which hosts the Futenma base, voted against holding the referendum, stating that it could lead to the Futenma base becoming fixed where it is now.
In case municipal assemblies reject setting an administrative budget for the referendum, the prefectural government has urged that those municipalities implement the budget by other means, such as a decision by their mayor.
Feelings of the prefecture's people toward the base issue must be complicated. While asking voters to choose simply between "Yes" or "No," various opinions of the people cannot be heard. This would inevitably widen divisions and confusion.
While seeking reconciliation, efforts should be made to reduce the prefecture's burden of hosting U.S. military bases realistically. Tamaki is urged to fulfill the role of the prefecture's chief executive.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 8, 2018)
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