 2 mayors oppose enlargement of U.S. military base in their cities Mayors of Sagamihara and Zama cities have conveyed to the government their opposition to the plan to relocate the U.S. Army headquarters based in Washington State, the United States, to U.S. Army Camp Zama located at border of the two cities in Kanagawa Prefecture. On October 13, Sagamihara Mayor Ogawa Isao and Zama Mayor Hoshino Katsuji visited Director General of the Defense Agency Ono Yoshinori to express their rejection of the relocation plan for the U.S. 1st Army Corps Command, which covers the Asia-Pacific region, to Camp Zama, by pointing out that the relocation will only help strengthen and perpetuate the functions of the camp. The two mayors stated that the relocation will cut off both citizens' longstanding wishes for a withdrawal of the camp, and urged the DA chief to show the way toward realignment, reduction, and removal of the camp. These cities have repeatedly made representations to the government to reject the plan to redeploy the U.S. Army 1st Corp. HQ to Japan. (end) |