Japan Press Weekly

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2013 October 16 - 22 [US FORCES]

National meeting takes place to stop US base construction

As the U.S. Forces are expanding Ospreys’ flight training exercises from Okinawa to other places in Japan, the Central Action Committee against the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty (Anpo-Haki) held a national meeting to exchange their experiences in anti-U.S. bases campaigns in Okinawa and the rest of the nation.

From across the country, 110 people took part in the gathering held in Okinawa’s Naha City from October 19 through 21.

Both the Japanese and U.S. administrations aim to “relocate” the U.S. Futenma Air Station in Ginowan City to the Henoko district in Nago City within the prefecture.

In his keynote speech, Anpo-Haki Secretary General Higashimori Hideo appealed to the participants to strengthen the signature-collecting and postcard-sending campaign to urge the Okinawan governor to not approve the Abe government’s request to reclaim land from the sea area near Henoko for the construction of a new U.S. base.

He also called on the attendees to widely support incumbent Nago City Mayor Inamine Susumu, who opposed the construction project, to be re-elected in the mayoral election next January.

Higashimori stressed the importance of uniting campaigns against the U.S. base construction plan with other struggles to demand the withdrawal of the crash-prone U.S. Ospreys from Japan and to block the passage of a secrets protection bill.

At the rally, Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Representatives Akamine Seiken said that it is vital to abrogate the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty to enable the realization of a complete settlement of various problems arising from U.S. bases in Okinawa.

After the assembly on the last day, 15 members of the central action committee visited the Okinawa prefectural office, demanding that the governor turn down the central government’s request to fill in the sea for the construction of a new military base.

Mentioning that since 2010 they have collected more than 335,000 signatures seeking the immediate and unconditional removal of the U.S. Futenma base, Higashimori said, “Giving serious consideration to local residents’ wishes, the governor should reject the national government’s request to go ahead with the landfill.”