It is important to continue to gradually and steadily reduce the excessive burden of hosting U.S. bases on Okinawa. In contrast, the approach of the Okinawa prefectural government, which appears to position base-related issues as a point of contention in the gubernatorial election, is extremely questionable.
The Okinawa prefectural government has revoked its permit for land reclamation as part of the planned relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Ginowan to the Henoko district in Nago. Work will be suspended.
The policy of revoking the permit was stated by Gov. Takeshi Onaga, who died last month. Okinawa's Vice Gov. Kiichiro Jahana said at a press conference that the prefectural government "will act with all its strength to stop the construction of a new base in Henoko."
It will be officially announced on Sept. 13 that the gubernatorial election will take place on Sept. 30, with ballots to be counted on the same day.
Groups that supported Onaga and others had called on the prefectural government to decide quickly to revoke the permit. By maintaining the wishes of Onaga, they are apparently aiming for an advantage in the election.
Hasn't the prefectural government taken too much advantage of its decision to revoke the permit for political purposes? It is not understandable that the prefectural government has responded in a way to inflame hostility among people in the prefecture just prior to the election.
It is obvious that the prefectural government is trying to rehash an issue that has been settled judicially. In 2015, Onaga nullified the approval, claiming the procedures taken earlier were legally flawed. The following year, the Supreme Court ruled that Onaga's judgment was illegal.
Keep a broad perspective
This time, the prefectural government has asserted, as reasons for the revocation, that environmental preservation measures worked out after the approval was issued, including measures for coral, were found to be insufficient and that soft ground had been discovered at the site after the approval.
The central government has been moving ahead with the transplantation of coral reefs and a boring survey. The assertion made by the prefectural government can be called unreasonable.
The central government plans to file a suit to get a stay of the withdrawal. Now that the prefectural government has used strong-arm tactics, such an action would be inevitable. Should the court approve it, the central government will be able to resume work within a few weeks or about a month.
The central government has put off the injection of soil and sand at the landfill area. By doing so, the central government is believed to have avoided having the gubernatorial election focus on base-related issues more than necessary.
The relocation to Henoko is a realistic option to eliminate the risk posed by the Futenma base and maintain the U.S. military's deterrent capability. The government must steadily move the work forward.
The election is expected to be effectively a one-on-one fight between former Ginowan Mayor Atsushi Sakima, endorsed by the ruling parties, and House of Representatives member Denny Tamaki, backed by groups that supported Onaga and opposition parties.
With regards to the planned relocation to Henoko, Sakima said he will respect a judicial ruling. Tamaki has taken a stance of opposing the relocation. It is important to discuss base-related issues level-headedly.
In 2022, Okinawa Prefecture will celebrate a watershed year marking the 50th anniversary of its reversion to Japanese sovereignty. During the election, candidates need to wage a battle of words from a broad perspective with the future of Okinawa in mind, ranging from the promotion of local industries to infrastructure development.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 2, 2018)
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
