Residents of Okinawa Prefecture were caught up in a battle where a total of about 200,000 people from Japan and the United States died. It is a day to remember the fierce battle and pray for peace.
Seventy-five years have passed since the end of the Battle of Okinawa during the final stage of the Pacific War. A memorial service to mourn the battle's war dead was held in Itoman, Okinawa Prefecture, on Okinawa Memorial Day on Tuesday.
To prevent infections with the novel coronavirus, the prefectural government simplified the ceremony and refrained from inviting Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, among others. Abe delivered a video message, saying the government "will do its utmost to reduce the burden of hosting bases."
The burden of U.S. military bases concentrated in Okinawa Prefecture must be reduced, while at the same time the prefecture's development must be steadily promoted.
It is regrettable that the confrontation between the central and prefectural governments over the base issue has been prolonged.
The Okinawa prefectural government has been fighting court battles with the central government over the plan to relocate the U.S. military's Futenma Air Station in Ginowan to the Henoko district of Nago, seeking to revoke the land reclamation permit that a former governor gave. The prefectural government is said to be intending not to approve the central government's application for design changes to carry out improvement work for the soft seabed in the Henoko district.
Futenma Air Station is surrounded by homes and schools. Residents around the base are suffering severely from the noise pollution and there is a high risk of accidents.
Chinese government vessels are sailing around the Senkaku Islands of Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, on a daily basis. It is essential to maintain the deterrence of U.S. forces stationed in Japan to ensure the safety of the territory. Okinawa is a strategically important place.
At the planned new airfield in Henoko, helicopter routes will mainly be over the sea. The move is apparently aimed at reducing the impact on local residents.
The central and prefectural governments must have the same desire to avoid Futenma base becoming a permanent base. The hope is that Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki will make a realistic decision. The central and prefectural governments should take the talks seriously.
Under Abe's Cabinet, part of the Northern Training Area, which is a U.S. Marine Corps base, and other sites were returned to Japan. However, 70% of U.S. military facilities in Japan are still concentrated in Okinawa Prefecture.
In response to the central government's request, the U.S. military shifted the training site for the Osprey transport aircraft belonging to Futenma station to Yamaguchi Prefecture and other locations.
The cooperation of local governments on the mainland is indispensable to further facilitate the consolidation and reduction of U.S. military facilities in Okinawa Prefecture and the transfer of training. The central government needs to consult with each local government to find ways to gain their acceptance.
In the recent Okinawa prefectural assembly election, the forces supporting Tamaki maintained the majority of seats. The central government, which is promoting the relocation plan, will continue to face a severe situation.
The tourism industry that props up Okinawa's economy has been hit by the fire that burned down many parts of Shuri Castle and the spread of the novel coronavirus. The launch of services on new routes has been delayed at Naha Airport's second runway, which opened in March.
The decline of the tourism industry could worsen the prefecture's employment situation. The central and prefectural governments need to work together to reconstruct Shuri Castle and promote industrial development in the prefecture.
-- The original Japanese article appeared in The Yomiuri Shimbun on June 24, 2020.
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