Japan Press Weekly

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2011 April 27 - May 10 [OKINAWA]

Okinawa Gov’t: ‘Transfer’ to Henoko impossible

Okinawa Prefectural Governor Nakaima Hirokazu on April 27 met with visiting U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Carl Levin and told the senator that a transfer of the U.S. Futenma base to Henoko will be difficult.

The committee chair, tasked with discussing a transfer of the U.S. Marine Corps from Okinawa to Guam said that he wants a way out of the supposedly no-way-out situation of the 2006 roadmap for the U.S. military realignment. He added that on behalf of the U.S. Congress, he was there to inspect the progress being made.

The governor stated that the prefectural people’s strong wish is to have the Futenma base immediately closed and fully withdrawn, without any transfer of functions within Okinawa. He declared that it is virtually impossible to build a new base in Okinawa due to public opposition.

Okinawa Prefectural Assembly Chair Takamine Yoshinobu, also present at the meeting, handed over three resolutions that the assembly unanimously adopted calling for the early closure and return of the Futenma base without any transfer within Okinawa, and for the transfer of the base to either outside Okinawa Prefecture or outside Japan.