February 27, 2013

The Defense Ministry’s bureau in Okinawa on February 26 made a request to a fishing cooperative in Nago City, Okinawa Prefecture, for its consent to reclaim land off the city’s coast to construct a new U.S. base.

The bureau explained that its move is a part of the procedures needed to file a similar request with the prefectural government.

At the summit meeting on February 22, Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and U.S. President Barack Obama agreed to relocate the U.S. Futenma base in Okinawa’s Ginowan City to Nago’s Henoko district as early as possible. Abe promised the president to “take specific measures” for the relocation.

Nago City Mayor Inamine Susumu issued a statement on February 26, saying, “The government’s arrogant attitude is absolutely unacceptable.”

Another cooperative association operating a fishery in the waters south of Henoko is opposed to the construction project.

The Japanese Communist Party prefectural committee of Okinawa stated in its protest statement, “The Okinawa governor, the prefectural assembly, and all 41 municipal leaders as well as assembly chairpersons in the prefecture object to the building of the U.S. base. It is an outrage for the defense bureau to seek the approval of local fishermen shortly after representatives of Okinawa submitted a petition in January directly to Prime Minister Abe to urge him to give up relocating the base within the prefecture.”