January 9, 2023

The central government, since the start of its project to construct a new U.S. base in Nago’s Henoko district in Okinawa in 2014, has spent about 66.1 billion yen (roughly 21.3 million yen a day) to surveil and suppress local protests, Akahata reported on January 9 based on its inquiry to the Defense Ministry’s Okinawa Defense Bureau.

The Okinawa Defense Bureau contracted with private security firms for policing activities at the main gate to U.S. Camp Schwab adjacent to the construction site as well as at a privately-owned pier in Nago City and a port in Motobu Town where dirt and sand are shipped for landfill work associated with the Henoko base project. Near these places, Okinawans have carried out sit-in and on-sea protests.

According to the bureau, between July 2014 and December 2022, Tokyo spent about 35.7 billion yen for policing activities near the U.S. base and about 30.4 billion yen at sea, amounting to about 66.1 billion yen in total. When combined with the 15.9 billion yen in spending for landfill work-related security costs, the total expenditure on policing activities reached about 82 billion yen.

Past related article:
> Gov’t plans to spend 30 million yen every day to suppress local protests against Henoko base project [September 10, 2020]