Bilateral report presents two options for new base runway in Henoko

Japan Press Weekly

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Bilateral report presents two options for new base runway in Henoko

The government on August 31 released a report by a Japan-U.S. expert panel on construction of an alternative facility for the U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in Okinawa.

The report was compiled based on the bilateral agreement made on May 28 which designates the Henoko district of Nago City, Okinawa, as a relocation site for the Futenma base. It includes two options for runway layouts: a V-shaped construction with two runways which the U.S. side favors; and a single I-shaped runway recently proposed by the Japanese government.

Nago City Mayor Inamine Susumu expressed strong opposition to the bilateral report, saying, “In the first place, residents do not want a new base in Henoko. It doesn’t matter if it is V-shaped or I-shaped.”

“To promote the construction in disregard of the opposition of local residents cannot be allowed in a democratic society,” he said.

Iha Yoichi, mayor of Ginowan City (which hosts the Futenma base) stated that the report will not receive Okinawans’ approval since they do not accept the base construction in Henoko in the first place. He expressed his intention to urge the government to retract the bilateral agreement.

- Akahata, September 1, 2010