The relocation plan for the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, has entered a new phase. The government must proceed with the construction work carefully while persistently stressing the significance of the relocation.
The Defense Ministry has begun injecting soil and sand in the Henoko coastal area in Nago in the prefecture, to which the Futenma base will be transferred. This signifies that full-scale work for land reclamation has been launched following the construction of seawalls, which started in April last year. It is a major milestone.
Under the plan, the U.S. military's Camp Schwab will be expanded and a V-shaped runway will be built for helicopters and transport aircraft.
Flight routes for helicopters are scheduled to be mainly over the sea. This has important implications as it would lead the Futenma air base, which is currently surrounded by houses and schools, to be relocated and reduce noise-related damage and the risk of accidents.
China has continued its maritime advancement, trying to change the status quo in the East China Sea, including the Nansei Islands. The U.S. Marine Corps in Okinawa Prefecture is an indispensable deterrent for the defense of Japan.
The original purpose of the Futenma transfer is to alleviate the burden on local residents.
In response to strong calls from Okinawa Prefecture, the Japanese and U.S. governments agreed on the return of the Futenma base site in 1996, and the relocation of the base's functions to Henoko was decided during talks between the central government and municipalities. After that, coordination over the construction method used for a replacement facility became tangled, but finally settled down to the current plan in 2006.
The administration of former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama of the Democratic Party of Japan, who took office in 2009, advocated a seemingly infeasible "relocation outside the prefecture," causing disarray that has led up to today. The responsibility is extremely heavy.
Seek realistic solution
The current landfill work, which is scheduled to be carried out by July 2020, will cover 4 percent of the total sea area of 160 hectares planned for the reclamation. The government intends to expand the area of operation. Efforts to obtain the understanding of the prefecture are essential.
It has been noted that part of the ground in Henoko needs to be improved. The Defense Ministry is conducting additional geological surveys. If soft ground exists, the prefectural government's approval will be required for a design change.
At a press conference, Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki said: "The central government's hard-line approach is unacceptable. We will take every possible measure." The relocation work could be suspended again.
It is apparent that the governor shares the view with the central government that fixing the Futenma base to its present location must be avoided. Instead of rehashing conventional arguments, a realistic solution should be considered.
The prefecture will hold a referendum in February next year asking whether to approve the Futenma transfer. The feelings of the prefecture's people over the base issue are too varied to be truly heard by simply asking them to choose "yes" or "no." It may only spur division among people.
Seventy percent of U.S. bases in Japan are concentrated in Okinawa Prefecture. The government is urged to make steady efforts to reduce the burden and push for measures to revive the prefecture.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 15, 2018)
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
