Japan Press Weekly

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2012 July 4 - 10 [OKINAWA]

Sit-in against Henoko base marks 3,000th day

An event marking the 3,000th day of an anti-U.S. base sit-in protest took place at Nago City Hall in Okinawa on July 4 on the eve of the anniversary.

In opposition to the plan of the Japanese and U.S. governments to construct a new U.S. base off the shore of the Henoko district in Nago City, local residents have carried on the sit-in protest since April 19, 2004.

Onishi Teruo of the Nago Council against the Construction of the U.S. On-Sea Heliport said, “Our struggle over these past eight years has been persistent and brought many people together in a bigger scale than ever expected.”

Another representative of the local council, Ashitomi Hiroshi said, “If we succeed in stopping the Osprey deployment to Japan, another base will no longer be necessary in Okinawa. Let’s increase our struggle to the national level to prevent the aircraft from being deployed to Japan!”

Maeda Masaaki, heading the Japanese Communist Party members of the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly, reported that all party groups in the assembly have together decided to organize a record-breaking rally in Okinawa. The cheers of participants resounded throughout the city hall.

Kayo Sogi, a JCP member of the Okinawa Prefectural Assembly, said, “As a person who experienced war, I devote my life to preventing our children or grandchildren from having to become soldiers.”

Nago City Mayor Inamine Susumu and JCP member of the Diet Akamine Seiken sent messages of support to the event.