Stop forcing Nago residents to accept new U.S. base plan

A representative of a coalition which sponsored the Japan Peace
Conference 2001 in Okinawa's Nago City (Nov. 29-Dec. 2) on December 12
visited the Defense Facilities Administration Agency to convey their demand
that the government stop coercing Nago citizens into accepting a specific
plan for the construction of a state-of-the-art U.S. air base.

In a meeting with Ito Yasushige, Defense Facilities Administration Agency
director general, Suda Hiroshi, the Japan Peace Committee secretary general,
raised questions about the government rushing to relocate the U.S. Marine
Corps Futenma Air Station to Nago.

The government is now pressing the district administrative organizations
of Nago City such as in Henoko, most adjacent to the planned base site, to
accept the site on the sea and select an engineering method .

Suda, accompanied by Koizumi Chikashi, Japanese Communist Party member of
the House of Councilors, told the defense official that Nago citizens'
definite opposition to the base plan was clearly expressed in the 1997
referendum. They explained how Nago citizens are worried about the new base
and therefore are opposed to it.

As regards the question of environmental destruction expected to be
caused by the construction of the base, the agency outlined that, after the
basic plan of the base construction is approved, they will carry out an
environmental assessment, and then remove the coral reef and seaweed beds
from the site.

Questioning this, Suda and Koizumi said that a report issued by the Japan
Scientists Association based on their research warned that once reefs and
seaweed bed are removed, they will be damaged considerably. (end)