April 12, 2026

Akahata ‘current’ column (excerpts)

On April 12, 1996, amid Okinawans’ fury over the gang rape of a local schoolgirl by U.S. soldiers that occurred the previous year, Japanese Prime Minister Hashimoto Ryutaro and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Walter Mondale agreed on the full return of the U.S. Futenma base to Okinawa’s Ginowan City.

Today marks 30 years since the conclusion of the agreement. However, the Futenma base continues operations at the same location. Situated in the heart of Ginowan City, it has been causing various damages from, for example, excessive noise and environment pollution.

An elementary school located just near the end of a runway has constantly been exposed to the roars from the base. In 2017, a window frame was accidentally dropped from a large U.S. military helicopter onto the school’s playground. At around the same time, another drop accident involving a U.S. military airplane occurred at a childcare center. One of the parents said in fear, “Nothing has changed. Rather, the situation got worse.”

The bilateral accord calls for the construction of a new U.S. base in Nago’s Henoko district in Okinawa as a replacement for the Futenma base. In opposition to this outrageous agreement by Tokyo and Washington, local residents have carried out tireless struggles in Henoko, such as the sit-in protest that has continued nonstop for over 8,000 days.

The U.S. insists that it will not return the Futenma base even after the completion of the Henoko base project. Prime Minister Takaichi sticks to the position that Henoko is the only solution. It is totally unacceptable for the two governments to turn their backs on Okinawans’ demand for removing the Futenma base from the city as it poses a danger to citizens’ lives and livelihoods.

Past related article:
> USFJ may retain both Futenma base even after new Henoko base is constructed [siFebruary 12, 2026]