Every trick in the book has been pursued with the aim of stopping construction work related to the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station. This attitude that appears to inflame a conflict with the central government is extremely questionable.
Over the planned relocation of the U.S. base to the Henoko district in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, Gov. Takeshi Onaga has announced a decision to start procedures to withdraw the prefecture's approval of the land reclamation. Onaga said, "By taking whatever measures necessary, we will not allow a new base to be constructed in Henoko."
On Aug. 17 the central government plans to start dumping earth and soil into the waters where the embankment work has been finished. After hearing the opinions of the Okinawa Defense Bureau, the prefectural government intends to make a formal decision to withdraw the approval before the dumping begins. The move is apparently aimed at suspending the construction.
As a reason for the withdrawal, Onaga has insisted that environmental conservation measures, including the transplantation of coral reefs, are insufficient. He also criticized the central government's attitude of shying away from consultations with the prefecture regarding disaster prevention in waters around the area to be reclaimed.
The central government is preparing to transplant rare coral. It has held consultations with the prefectural government on this issue on a regular basis. The prefecture's claims must be one-sided.
The issue over the approval of the Henoko landfill work has been settled judicially.
In 2015, Onaga nullified the approval, claiming the procedures taken by his predecessor were legally flawed. The following year, the Supreme Court ruled that Onaga's judgment was illegal.
Gain local understanding
The prefectural government has asserted that the top court's ruling on the nullification does not impinge the withdrawal of the approval because the reason for the withdrawal is a violation that occurred after the approval was made.
This is an attempt to make light of the judicial decision that has recognized the legitimacy of the central government's stance. The prefectural government's stance of clinging to a halt to the construction cannot escape criticism from being high-handed.
If the withdrawal is formally decided, the relocation work will be temporarily halted. The central government intends to counter the move by taking such steps as filing a suit to nullify the withdrawal and seeking a stay of execution of the withdrawal. This would be the sixth lawsuit over the relocation issue.
It is abnormal that legal battles are repeated. Many residents of the prefecture would not want to see such an unproductive confrontation.
In Okinawa Prefecture, a gubernatorial election will be held in November. Onaga has not clearly stated whether he will run after undergoing surgery for cancer in April. However, he is apparently trying to direct focus to the base issue again by delaying the construction.
A matter that involves national security should not be made a political issue.
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 relocation plan was suspended repeatedly due to a series of lawsuits in the past, causing a significant delay in the plan. Both Japan and the United States aim for the Futenma base site to be returned to Japan in fiscal 2022 at the earliest, but it has become difficult to do so.
The central government must continue efforts to gain the understanding of local residents by explaining the importance of the relocation.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, July 28, 2018)
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