Tokunoshima mayors reject PM’s proposal on Futenma issue

Japan Press Weekly

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Tokunoshima mayors reject PM’s proposal on Futenma issue

In the meeting with Prime Minister Hatoyama Yukio on May 7, three town mayors of Tokunoshima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture, rejected Hatoyama’s proposal to move some U.S. Marine elements from the Futenma base in Okinawa to the island.

The mayors submitted to Hatoyama the petition opposing the relocation of the Futenma base that 25,800 people signed (Tokunoshima has a population of about 26,000).

Criticizing the government for continuing to seek relocation sites, Isen Town Mayor Okubo Akira said, “What the government should do is not to look for a new base site for the Futenma base but to head in the direction of disarmament.”

While saying that he wants to sincerely take into consideration the 25,800 people’s demand, Hatoyama stuck to his plan to transfer part of the Futenma base function to Tokunoshima by saying, “I will make further efforts to get Tokunoshima residents to rethink my proposal.”

Although Hatoyama hoped to continue meeting with the three mayors, Okubo said, “Further meetings are unnecessary. Tokunoshima residents will never change their minds. Their opposition will become even stronger.” The other two mayors also expressed their refusal to meet again with Hatoyama by saying, “No matter how many times we have a meeting, it will end up without any progress.”

Later on the same day, Japanese Communist Party Policy Commission Chair Koike Akira at a news conference said, “Tokunoshima islanders clearly showed their decision to oppose the government plan to relocate the Futenma base to Tokunoshima through the three mayors’ blunt refusals and the fact that the entire island population signed the petition against the government plan. This indicates the collapse of the Hatoyama administration plan to find a new site for the Futenma base somewhere within Okinawa or outside the prefecture.”

Asked by reporters about Hatoyama’s intention to change Tokunoshima residents’ minds, Koike said, “Hatoyama is not sufficiently aware of Tokunoshima islander’s firm decision. Isen Town Mayor clearly stated that their minds will never be changed. If Hatoyama doesn’t understand that, he is not qualified to be the prime minster of Japan.”

- Akahata, May 8, 2010